Ministry selects local program to provide residential treatment
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Problem Gambling Services, a
program of Windsor Regional Hospital
has been advocating for years
for the Ministry of Health & Long-
Term Care to expand the continuum
of care for problem gamblers in
Ontario. Intensive day treatment
and residential treatment are two
necessary treatment options for
those unable to overcome their
gambling addiction through the less
intrusive out-patient options.
The Ministry agreed and approximately eighteen months ago issued a "Request for Proposal" to provide a four bed residential treatment program as a pilot project. Since there would only be four sites selected, a number of the problem gambling/addiction service providers responded with a proposal hoping to bring this new treatment option to their own community. Problem Gambling Services, with the support of Windsor Regional Hospital and the entire local addiction community submitted a comprehensive proposal anticipating serious consideration. Recently the Ministry selected the four successful proponents and fortunately, Problem Gambling Services was one of them. The other three sites are Thunder Bay, Burlington and Toronto. This is great news for the residents of Essex County. Local residents will benefit from additional treatment options such as intensive day treatment and additional out-patient options thanks to the ability for some clients to commute and the availability of new daytime programming. Problem Gambling Services' programming will change dramatically over the next couple of months. Staff have been busy dedicating additional time and effort towards program development. Many years of expertise in residential treatment and problem gambling services are merging to develop a comprehensive continuum of care that the residents of Essex County and Ontario will be proud to call their own. Operational space is also going through a major transformation. While the operation will remain at 2109 Ottawa, the Office Tower of Market Square, the newly renovated fifth floor will provide twice the space that was previously occupied on the fourth floor. All new programming will be up and running by the end of April 2005. Local referrals will be handled the same way as they were in the past. The only difference will be that clients and staff will have a wider range of treatment options to choose from. Procedures for referrals coming from outside Essex County are currently being developed. More often than not when any new health related treatment option is introduced in Ontario, residents of Essex County usually head east on the 401 to access that service. Not this time. |