CHAMPS in Northwestern Ontario

Children and youth mental health in Northwestern Ontario received wonderful news in March when the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care announced funding for hiring of up to six full-time child psychiatrists for the region.  This funding pairs with previous funding for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services (CAPS) with expanded allied mental health professionals announced last year to establish the Child & Adolescent Multidisciplinary Psychiatry Services (CHAMPS) Program.  These two funding packages include psychiatric care as well as support for mental health nursing and social workers spread across Northwestern Ontario, an area twice the size of the United Kingdom.  The goal is a hub-and-spoke model with Thunder Bay at its centre with an integrated…