Downtown mental health treatment centre set to open in February

A new mental health treatment centre in Windsor's downtown should be taking patients by the end of the February, say health officials at Htel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.

A site plan application for the proposed treatment centre wasrubber stamped by city council Monday night, giving the facility its final green light.

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Transitional Stability Centre will open its doors in the 700-block of Ouellette Avenue by Feb. 29, initiallyoffering day service to patients with mental health and addiction issues, according to Htel-Dieu spokesman Bill Marra.

"We don't anticipate any problems with the site plan application," he said.

When fully operational, the treatment centre will have 55 beds and offer a range of health services, which will also reduce foot traffic in the city's emergency rooms.

Despite drawing considerable criticisms when plans for the centre were first made public, the project is now receiving considerable support, explained Marra.

It "provides an important institutional service within the downtown core," according to the staff report recommending the site application plan be approved.

The hospital held a public meeting last year to help people understand the services offered at the centre.

"There was a high degree of anxiety with people not knowing exactly what the project entailed," Marra said. "The public meeting last year went far to dispel people's concerns."