Montfort opens ‘revolutionary’ emergency mental-health zone

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It was an urgent need that couldn’t wait for Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital.

For years, the hospital on Montreal Road in Vanier has treated more than twice as many emergency department patients for mental-health needs as other hospitals in Ottawa and across Ontario. In 2022, that represented more than 50,000 emergency visits. Hospital officials knew they could do a better job of serving those patients.

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In June, Montfort announced it was transforming part of its emergency department and building a special zone dedicated to mental-health care. With no government funding for the build, the hospital’s foundation announced a $2-million fundraising campaign for the state-of-the-art space right next to the main emergency department.

That campaign was expected to last 18 months, but the goal was met in just 18 weeks, with the help of a large gift from the Singhal family, owners of Richcraft Homes, and other donors.

On Tuesday morning, hospital officials showed off the new space — complete with a shower, windows, piped-in music, dimmable lights, quiet spaces and built-in safety features for patients and staff. By Tuesday afternoon, the first patients were expected to arrive.

“It was an ambitious project for Hospital Montfort to pursue,” president and CEO Dominic Giroux said. “We know capital planning can take five, 10, even 15 years. But this need was identified by clinical teams as high-priority.”

Giroux said members of the community responded quickly to the call to raise funds for the pressing need. “There was a need, so we just got it done. We did not ask for a dime for the province.”

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Montfort’s mental-health zone was based on best practices used by other hospitals, or features they wished they had included, hospital officials said.

Now Montfort is hearing from hospital officials across Ontario and beyond who are interested in learning from and maybe replicating some aspects of the project.

It is located directly beside the main emergency department nursing station in a secure space that does not resemble traditional emergency departments.

The waiting room has six, large comfortable chairs that are also heavy enough that they can’t be moved. A water dispenser means a waiting patient can help themselves, rather than having to ask a nurse or staff member for help. There is a secure spot to charge electronic devices, something that helps give patients a sense of normalcy and control during a stressful time, said Dr. Kristine Levesque, deputy chief of staff and chief of psychiatry at the hospital. There are also a shower, a washroom and four rooms: one with a beanbag chair and another with a lounger, all with soft lighting, music and safety features for patients who might be in crisis, all aimed at easing anxiety.

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It is all part of putting a focus in an area of medicine that is sometimes an afterthought, Levesque said.

“Mental health and psychiatry has been one of those medical fields that is often forgotten. It is not an easy population to treat. We are taking their care seriously and putting their care first. As a psychiatrist, I think this is revolutionary,” Levesque said.

The new zone will also include a nurse trained in mental-health care, which is something new for the emergency department, said Dr. Francis Dubé, chief of emergency medicine at the hospital.

Dubé said creating a dedicated, specially designed zone for patients experiencing mental-health emergencies would help the entire emergency department, likely decreasing crowding in the main waiting room and improving safety for staff. The hospital employs a security guard 24/7.

The hospital, whose psychiatric staff has grown from five at one time to 20 now, is known for its mental-health focus, hospital officials said, and that is drawing the attention of doctors interested in working in the field.

The new Richcraft Homes Mental Health Emergency Zone opened its doors on the same day Ontario Premier Doug Ford was in town for other events.

Giroux said he looked forward to giving the premier a tour of the new unit some time.

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