Two decades of service in veteran mental health

Twenty years since it first opened, the St. Joseph’s Operational Stress Injury Clinic has treated thousands of clients who serve and have served in the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The clinic has grown from a three-person office into a 50-staff support community working from the main clinic at Parkwood Institute and satellite centres in Greater Toronto and Hamilton. And last year alone, more than 780 clients benefited from its services for people who have experienced mental health injury – including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression – in the line of duty.

On Dec. 5, clinic staff and officials from Veterans Affairs Canada joined a wider community of supporters to celebrate two decades since the centre’s founding. 

The clinic has made all the difference to Michael Newcombe, first a client and then, for 10-1/2 years, a mentor for other clients. “If not for the OSI Clinic, I’m not sure where I’d be today,” he said.

Funded by Veterans Affairs Canada and first opened in 2004, the OSI clinic provides specialized care to referred members who have experienced an operational stress injury – including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression – as a result of their work/service duties.

Dr. Cyd Courchesne, Director General of Veterans Affairs Canada Health Professionals, presented a certificate of appreciation on behalf of Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas. Courchesne noted the region has a long and rich history, dating back to 1920, of caring for veterans. “A commitment to caring for those who have served has been a constant,” she said.

Sandy Jansen, VP, Patient Safety and Risk, St. Joseph’s Health Care London, lauded the dedication of clinic staff in helping heal veterans’ invisible wounds. The clinic, she said, “remains a beacon of hope” for those who have served. 

• Last year, St. Joseph’s OSI Clinic treated more than 780 clients, with more than 8,300 visits and almost 350 referrals
• The OSI team at Parkwood Institute originally was a three-person team
• Almost 50 staff work out of the clinic today: 28 at Parkwood and 21 at the Greater Toronto and Hamilton satellite clinics. They include psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, medical consultants, support staff and clinical managers 
• St. Joseph’s OSI is part of a network of 21 service sites across Canada: 10 primary clinics and 11 satellite clinics