On April 25, 2022, Sault Area Hospital (SAH) began the construction and retrofitting of its $20 million Residential Withdrawal Management facility at 145 Old Garden River Road.
This new centre will provide 20 residential withdrawal management beds and safe beds in a completely renovated facility. Care at this facility will complement other Addictions Services including, but not limited to, in-patient/hospital-based addictions care, in-home/mobile withdrawal management, rapid access addictions medicine and counselling, as well as residential support and case management.
Services will include comprehensive assessment, medical support (medication-assisted symptom and craving management), education (harm reduction, healthy coping, life skills, and relapse prevention), Continuum of Care treatment planning and referrals, individual/group counselling and support, and peer support and self-help groups.
As part of the development of the new facility, SAH is undergoing a branding exercise to define its name and brand, and is engaging the community to provide feedback.
The new name and brand will reflect:
- A feeling that the facility belongs to the community/region
- A mental health and addictions care environment that is evidence-based, inclusive and welcoming, safe, respectful and bias-free
- The current service offerings including withdrawal management and safe beds services, and our future vision of consolidated community-based mental health and addictions services across a comprehensive continuum of care
- Affiliation with the larger health system and a departure from care fragmentation and outdated terminology
Aligned with the purpose and goals of the facility, the names being considered include:
- NORTHWAY Community Mental Health & Addictions Centre - ‘North’ connects the name to our region, and also figuratively indicates an upward direction/progress. ‘Way’ speaks to the facility as the path to a recovery journey.
- HEALING SHORES Community Mental Health & Addictions Centre - The word ‘Healing’ speaks to the desired outcome of being healed. ‘Shores’ is a reference to our location on the St. Mary’s River and our connection to nature.
- HOLISTIC MENTAL WELLNESS CENTRE - The word ‘Holistic’ speaks to the program’s unique offering (biopsychosocial and spiritual). ‘Mental wellness’ is a less stigmatized way of saying mental health. ‘Centre’ is used as the facility will be a central location for all mental health services.