The new Lakeridge Bridging Clinic is connecting patients with short-term mental health and substance-use support after an emergency department visit.
Lakeridge Health announced the service on September 22. The clinic was developed with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and is one of the first initiatives to emerge from the two organizations’ partnership announced in 2025.
Support can continue for up to three months
The clinic brings psychiatry, nursing, addictions care, social work and peer support together in one program. It also connects patients with primary care, housing assistance and other community services when those supports are needed.
Eligible patients can receive care for up to three months after leaving hospital. Access is through a referral from a Lakeridge Health emergency department or care team when clinicians determine the service is appropriate.
The program is intended to address the period between urgent hospital care and longer-term treatment in the community. Lakeridge Health said it provides more than 140,000 mental health and addictions visits each year through clinics and community services, in addition to approximately 11,000 related emergency department visits.
CAMH model informed the Durham clinic
CAMH shared experience from its own Bridging Clinic, which began in 2017. It will also support evaluation of the Durham service to identify improvements and determine whether the model could be expanded.
A $250,000 gift from Harry Lebovic and his daughter Rachel helped establish the clinic. Lakeridge Health described the service as part of broader work with CAMH, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, primary care providers and community partners.
The announcement did not provide a public walk-in location or self-referral process. Patients seeking access should speak with their Lakeridge Health emergency department or care team.
Anyone facing a mental health crisis, overdose, immediate safety concern or thoughts of harming themselves or others should go to the nearest emergency department or call 911.
Clinic designed around connected care
Lakeridge Health said the clinic is designed so patients do not have to navigate the transition from emergency care alone. The multidisciplinary team can address immediate clinical needs while helping each person connect with the longer-term care and practical supports that fit their circumstances.
The model recognizes that mental health and substance-use recovery can depend on more than a medical appointment. Connections to housing, primary care and community programs are included because those services can affect whether a patient is able to maintain treatment after leaving hospital.
CAMH operates one of Ontario’s only stand-alone psychiatric emergency departments. Its experience with patients moving between hospital and community care informed the Durham program, while Lakeridge Health’s local teams and partnerships shape how the clinic works within the region.
Lakeridge Health said evaluation will be part of the partnership. That work is expected to examine the clinic’s results, identify adjustments and consider whether elements of the approach could be used more widely.
The health system did not announce a daily appointment capacity, expansion timetable or separate public registration process. The referral requirement means the clinic is a transition service for patients already receiving Lakeridge care rather than a replacement for emergency services or community crisis lines.
