Northern Ont.’s first private mental health walk-in clinic opens in Sudbury

Northern Ontario's first private mental health walk-in clinic has opened, charging $75 per session.

Northern Ontario’s first private mental health walk-in clinic opened its doors in Sudbury this week.

While NDP health critic France Gelinas said this week that the clinic is needed, she says ultimately, mental health services are the responsibility of the provincial government.

Registered social service worker Joanne Bouchard and nurse practitioner Lisa Parise partnered six years ago to develop a mental health walk-in clinic in Sudbury.

Fast access to services

The Pathwell Walk-in Clinic is now open on Lonsdale Avenue in Sudbury.

“Our goal is to be able to provide our community with access to services that you’re not waiting and, you know, making all that overflow at the hospital,” Bouchard said.

“Sometimes that immediate intervention is needed right now, not in six hours or in three days.”

The clinic offers walk-in mental health assessment and crisis intervention. Since it’s private, patients are charged $75 for 45 minutes with a clinician.

Staff said they are working towards being covered by OHIP by April next year.

“Not a lot of people have the funds and that’s what we’re seeing,” said Parise.

‘Pleading’ for provincial coverage

“People on ODSP, people on welfare, people on different things. These are all people (who) probably can’t work because of their mental health. And a lot of my patients are like that. So what do we do? Psychotherapy isn’t covered for them.”

She said they are “pleading” with the province to provide them with coverage.

“They talked a lot about mental health in the last couple of years and we’re hoping that they would see the need and try and, try and help with some funding,” Parise said.

Gelinas said while the service is needed, the province should be funding the clinic so everyone can access services.

“We have our people who would love nothing more than to provide mental health care to the people of northern Ontario,” she said.

“We have a government that refuses to fund them, because if you don’t fund the public system … there’s a lot of money to be made off the back of sick people. Big investors know this.”

She said for-profit clinics are making hundreds of millions of dollars every month for services that should be covered.

“That’s what the Ford government wants,” Gelinas said.

“That’s not the Canadian way. Tommy Douglas brought us Medicare care based on needs, not on ability to pay.”

The clinic is currently open six days a week and Bouchard said they hope to open locations in the South End and the Valley next year, as well as a location in Sault Ste. Marie.