407 ETR has announcing $2 million in funding for Durham-based Ontario Shores Foundation for Mental Health to help expand access to specialized care for first responders, healthcare workers and others who need timely support.
The investment will help increase clinical staffing, strengthen peer-support collaborations with paramedic services and support province-wide awareness efforts to encourage earlier treatment.
Ontario Shores’ coordinated model connects individuals with the support that best meets their needs. Services range from in-hospital treatment for serious PTSI to community-based programs for mild to moderate needs. This approach is designed to reduce wait times, improve access and direct clinical resources to areas of greatest demand.
“Demand for PTSD and trauma services continues to outpace capacity, and progress requires strong community partnerships. Ontario Shores is strengthening the provincial trauma system through our coordinated care model, ensuring first responders and individuals living with PTSD receive the care they need, when and where they need it,” says Sanaz Riahi, Executive Vice-President, Transformation, Clinical Services, Practice & CNE, Ontario Shores.
This investment is part of 407 ETR’s broader commitment to strengthening access to care across Ontario, including its support of Ontario’s first Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Centre for First Responders at Runnymede Healthcare Centre and the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine, where the Integrated Health Centre supported by 407 ETR is helping expand access to primary care and train the next generation of physicians. Together, these investments are helping strengthen Ontario’s health care system and improving access to care.
“We rely on first responders every day to help keep Highway 407 ETR moving safely and to support our customers when they need it most,” says Jose Espinosa, 407 ETR President & CEO. “Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and this is why we’re proud to support this important cause. Building on our investment in Runnymede Healthcare’s first responder rehabilitation and recovery programs, this partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to expanding access to specialized trauma and PTSI care.”