Hats On For Healthcare will support mental health program

REGIONAL – It’s lucky number 13 as the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation launches its 13th annual Hats On For Healthcare Campaign which has raised more than $450,000 for programs and services at Windsor Regional Hospital.

The beneficiary of this year’s campaign is the new Mental Health Program at the Ouellette Campus. It consists of the new Assessment Unit, eight Psychiatric Intensive Care Beds and 60 beds in the Acute Care Unit.

“The physical space is the holding space for the gem of our program, the team of multidisciplinary professionals: nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, family practice physicians and psychiatrists,” said Dr. Corina Velehorschi, Chief of Psychiatry. “The common misconception is that mental health affects mostly the stigmatized, the marginalized in our community. It can be anyone and it is our role to buttress their supports by involving family and community resources for best outcomes. There is no health without mental health.”

In the last fiscal year, 5,625 patients with a mental health or substance abuse primary diagnoses were assessed in the ER, of which over 3,200 were assessed in the Mental Health Assessment Unit and 2,000 were admitted to inpatient psychiatry.

This year’s Hats On For Healthcare campaign is virtual and kicks off with a Facebook Live launch on Wednesday, March 2, hosted by recently retired CTV Windsor anchor Jim Crichton.

Residents, families, businesses, organizations, schools or groups of friends are encouraged to register at hatsonforhealthcare.com as a team, wear a hat and raise funds for this worthy cause. Individuals are also encouraged to donate to support the cause.

The goal for this year is $50,000, which would bring the overall campaign total to date to over half a million dollars.