Canadian Mental Health Association Lambton Kent Donates $150,000 towards Chatham-Kent Health Alliance’s Withdrawal Management Service
CHATHAM-KENT: April 29, 2022 – The Canadian Mental Health Association Lambton Kent (CMHA Lambton Kent) has donated $150,000 towards Chatham-Kent Health Alliance’s (CKHA) Withdrawal Management service. The donation was presented on Friday, April 29, 2022 at a special event held at CKHA’s Chatham Site.
“We are grateful to our community partners CMHA Lambton Kent for this generous donation in support of our Withdrawal Management service,” said Lori Marshall, President and CEO, CKHA. “CMHA Lambton Kent and CKHA share an established track record of success in the delivery of mental health and addictions treatment locally. We are thankful for their support towards establishing a 10-bed Withdrawal Management facility for our community.”
“It is critically important that people in our community have access to high-quality Withdrawal Management services that they can access quickly without leaving Chatham-Kent,” noted Alan Stevenson, who holds a uniquely integrated role as CEO of CMHA Lambton Kent and Vice President, Mental Health & Addictions at CKHA. He added, “More than a donation, these funds are an investment in the services available for the clients and patients we work to serve in community and acute care.”
Withdrawal Management services help individuals who struggle with substance use, including drugs, alcohol, and/or prescription medications. It is an evidence based, recovery-oriented, harm reduction approach to drug and alcohol addiction. CKHA’s Withdrawal Management service will provide a supportive environment to enable safe withdrawal from substances and initiation of follow-up addictions treatment.
“Today’s announcement is another significant step in our journey towards an operational Withdrawal Management service in Chatham-Kent,” said Alan Wildeman, Board Chair, CKHA. “We are extremely grateful to CMHA Lambton Kent for their support of patient-centred addiction care and this specialized service. CKHA’s Withdrawal Management service will eliminate barriers for individuals who require treatment and ensures our community can receive this type of care closer to home.”
Becky Bellavance, Board Chair of CMHA Lambton Kent concurs, “At CMHA Lambton Kent, we are committed to collaboration with our partners in efforts, such as Withdrawal Management, to improve and increase mental health and addictions services for our community. This donation represents an exceptional opportunity to do just that; we are pleased to participate in this initiative.”
CKHA’s 10-bed Withdrawal Management unit will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Chatham Site in the former outpatient mental health services building. The organization’s Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) Clinic will also re-locate to this location once the renovations are complete. The cost of renovations are estimated to be $1.1 million. CMHA Lambton Kent’s donation will go directly towards the construction of the Withdrawal Management unit. The project remains on track for completion by June 30, 2022. While this construction is underway, CKHA has established an interim 3-bed Withdrawal Management unit within the hospital as of March 15, 2022 to begin offering these services immediately to the community.
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Media contact:
Fannie Vavoulis, Director, Communications
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance
519.359.3172
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