A new Durham mental health partnership will bring Lakeridge Health and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences together to improve how residents access mental health and addictions care.
The two health organizations announced the collaboration this week, saying they intend to combine Lakeridge Health’s regional hospital network with Ontario Shores’ specialized expertise in complex mental illness. Their stated goal is to create more coordinated care for patients and smoother connections between hospital and community services.
Schizophrenia care is an early priority
One of the partnership’s first priorities is a coordinated model of care for people living with schizophrenia. The organizations say they will work toward greater consistency from diagnosis through treatment and recovery, with fewer gaps as patients move between services.
The partnership will also examine ways to improve access to urgent and emergency mental health care. That work is expected to include exploring new service models intended to help people obtain appropriate support sooner and in the right setting.
Lakeridge Health and Ontario Shores have also identified research, clinical innovation, staff education, workforce training, patient-outcome measurement and advocacy as shared areas of work. The announcement establishes those priorities but does not provide a project budget or a detailed implementation schedule.
Measuring patient outcomes is an important part of the plan because the partners say they want to evaluate how services are designed and delivered, not simply create another referral arrangement. Joint education and training could also allow staff in different parts of the system to work from more consistent clinical practices. Specific measures and training programs have not yet been released.
Why the partnership matters in Durham
Ontario Shores, based in Whitby, said Durham Region residents account for 35 per cent of its inpatients. The hospital provides specialized assessment and treatment for people with complex and serious mental illnesses, while Lakeridge Health operates five hospitals and more than 30 community locations across its broader health system.
That combination gives the organizations different but complementary roles. Lakeridge Health provides acute, emergency, outpatient and community-based services, including mental health and addictions programs. Ontario Shores contributes specialized treatment, recovery-oriented care, research and clinical education.
The organizations said the new arrangement is intended to make care more connected rather than requiring patients and families to navigate separate systems on their own. Their work will include examining transitions between diagnosis, hospital treatment, community support and recovery services.
Those transition points can involve several providers and settings. The hospitals say their shared approach will focus on evidence-informed care and continuity, particularly for patients whose needs do not fit neatly within a single program. The partnership also includes a commitment to advocate for patients and families as the work develops.
John Chen, president and chief executive officer of Ontario Shores, said combining the organizations’ expertise could better support people with complex needs throughout their care. Lakeridge Health president and chief executive officer Cynthia Davis described collaboration as necessary as demand for mental health and addictions services grows across Durham.
What happens next
The schizophrenia-care model and the review of urgent and emergency access are the clearest initial projects identified. Residents should not expect immediate changes to appointments or emergency procedures solely because of the announcement; the hospitals have described a framework for joint work that will be developed over time.
Anyone experiencing an immediate medical emergency should continue to call 911 or attend an emergency department. Information about existing mental health and addictions programs remains available through Lakeridge Health and Ontario Shores.
Sources: Lakeridge Health, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Featured image: original AI-generated editorial illustration by AllAboutDurham.com; it does not depict a specific hospital meeting.
