Fred Wagner is steering the work of a new, combined mental health agency in Waterloo, Wellington and Dufferin.
The merger of Trellis Mental Health and Developmental Services and Canadian Mental Health Grand River has given birth to Canadian Mental Health Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, putting together resources to provide what Wagner hopes will be a one-stop service provider for those dealing with all aspects of mental health.
Wagner said the merger came about after talks between the two agencies.
“In light of what we were seeing of mental health challenges we felt there were synergies in coming together.”
Canadian Mental Health has normally dealt with housing and employment opportunities for clients with mental health issues, while Trellis was focused on treatment options for those recently diagnosed with a form of mental illness and those living with it.
“We felt we would be better able to provide a better service,” he said of the merger. “Instead of someone having to go to a number of different doors they can be diverted to one source.”
The new agency will deal with adults 18 and up, while younger people will go through the province’s Child Youth Services.
The agency will also come under the auspices of the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) which provides funding of about $20 million.
As the merger process proceeds, the agency will provide regular updates of its operations for a re-evaluation of LHIN funding. The process is expected to take 10 months for full integration of services, internal technology and payroll for the estimated 330 employees.
“We’re spread over 11 sites in three different counties,” Wagner said.
With mental health previously handled by two different agencies, the new executive director acknowledged, there were shortfalls in service delivery.
Among them were slow response times to patients seeking advice for mental health problems and to getting people in to the programs they need.
“That’s exactly the issues we need to address,” he said. “When people are in crisis they need to know where to get help. People should know this is where I call.”
The LHIN review will also look at accountability for services. That would assist Wellington County, which contributes about $2 million annually to mental health in the county.
The agency is also charged with getting the message of their services to the public to combat claims people are unaware of where to turn when a mental health crisis arises.
“It’s going to require us to be open and accountable about what we are doing,” Wagner said. “It’s incumbent upon us to communicate very clearly what kind of help is available.”
“It’s not just treatment, it’s the whole picture,” he added. “Because we’re larger we can focus the voice of mental health.”
