E-news from St. Joe's Foundation | 2023 May Mental Health Week Edition

Fueled by Philanthropy, St. Joe’s Mobile Mental Health Clinic Keeps Rolling

A mobile clinic on wheels that first hit the road to deliver essential mental health care to clients during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to roll into 2024 thanks to two recent donations from SC Johnson and Alectra Inc. 

The mobile clinic launched in 2020 as an innovative way to ensure clients of St. Joe’s outpatient programs, including those living with schizophrenia or related disorders, continued to receive treatment during the pandemic while reducing foot traffic into the Hospital to slow the spread of COVID-19. Originally, the pilot project had funding to operate for just 10 weeks, but an outpouring of generous donor support has enabled the van’s outreach into the community to continue.  

The mobile clinic plays an important role in supporting healthier outcomes for those living with mental illness, while also reducing disparities in healthcare by providing easy access to care, closer to home. That’s why we couldn’t be more grateful to all those who have helped keep the clinic on the road. 

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Meet our 2023 Run for Women Community Champion

Anneliese Lawton is a mom of three young children, a bestselling author, an editor of a local magazine and St. Joe’s 2023 Run for Women Community Champion!

Along with juggling a busy family and work life, Anneliese also lives with mental illness. After two high-risk traumatic pregnancies, she struggled with life-threatening postpartum depression. When the pandemic hit and she became pregnant with her third child, she was referred to St. Joe’s Women’s Health Concerns Clinic for help.

Today, Anneliese is giving back to the Hospital that supported her when she was in crisis by participating in the Run for Women on Saturday, June 17 at Confederation Park and she’s inviting the community to join her. Sign up today to walk, run and raise funds for women’s mental health and addictions care, so that other women in our community, women just like Anneliese, have access to the expert care they need, right here at St. Joe’s.

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FirstOntario Credit Union Invests in the Mental Health of Hamilton Youth

As we mark Canadian Mental Health Week, we’re celebrating a new three-year partnership with FirstOntario Credit Union that is helping St. Joe’s support the mental health of our community and its youth.

This latest gift will support youth ages 17–25 as they access care at our Youth Wellness Centre (YWC), and ensure the YWC’s free Take What You Need Basket is stocked with culturally sensitive personal care products, nutritious food items, hats and mittens for cold weather and more.

FirstOntario’s funding will also help to purchase supplies for the Centre’s Art Drop-in Corner, provide gift items for the Holiday Market, and enable the YWC to offer bus tickets for clients who may need a safe ride to or from their therapy sessions. “These might seem like little things, but they can mean everything when a youth comes through our doors seeking help,” says Lisa Jeffs, Manager of the Youth Wellness Centre and the Hospital’s Eating Disorders Clinic.

We’re also grateful to FirstOntario Credit Union for sponsoring our upcoming edition of A Mental Health Morning! More details below.

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Save the Date: A Mental Health Morning Returns This Fall

We’re pleased to announce that, thanks to the ongoing support of presenting sponsor ArcelorMittal Dofasco, A Mental Health Morning will return this fall during its traditional timing of Mental Illness Awareness Week.

Join us on Wednesday, October 4 at Michelangelo Conference and Events Centre for a keynote address by Lynn Keane. Lynn is a former broadcast journalist, a speaker, author, athlete and passionate advocate for suicide prevention and mental wellness.

Since the death of her son Daniel by suicide in 2009, Lynn has dedicated her life to sharing his story, and furthering the understanding of underlying causes and contributing factors in depression and suicide—as well as the importance of treating mental illness with understanding and compassion. A deeply personal issue for Lynn, she has turned Daniel’s story into a call for action and encourages us to re-examine how we view and treat mood disorders. 

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