Igniting hope and fostering change by providing a continuum of mental health and addiction education, supports and services will be the mission of the soon-to-be Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Thames Valley Addiction & Mental Health Services.
After many months of working together at the governance, leadership and staff levels, Addiction Services of Thames Valley, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Elgin Middlesex branch, and Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Oxford branch, have agreed to formally become one agency. It was a unanimous vote by all the Boards of Directors.
The vision we strive to reach: Resilience for all through positive mental health and freedom from addiction.
The integrated agency will be led by Beth Mitchell and Linda Sibley as co-CEOs for a period of approximately 12-18 months. “This will allow us to ensure an effective transition toward transforming our services,” says Beth Mitchell, CEO of CMHA Elgin Middlesex.
“The integration of addiction and mental health services will be a game-changer for our communities. In order to ensure we do not lose our specializations, Beth and I will work as a team to lead this important integration,” stated Linda Sibley, Executive Director of Addiction Services of Thames Valley.
The current Executive Director of CMHA Oxford, Lynn Wardell, will become the VP of Program Operations and Oxford Site Director. “Our model will strengthen local services. We will work hard at implementing a model that ensures services stay close to home. You have our commitment. Through this approach, we will have Regional Centres, hubs and mini-hubs throughout the Thames Valley region, creating programming across county boundaries – current boundaries that can get in the way of great service,” Lynn explains.
Over the coming months a transition plan will be executed which will include the selection of the new Board of Directors as well as the Leadership Team for the integrated agency. It is anticipated that the integration will be finalized by July/August 2021.
At this time, our services and programs do not change. As we go through this transition, we will keep you posted. Please reach out to your workers should you have any other questions.
Join us as we celebrate this incredible milestone!
| Dennis Lunau Chair, Board of Directors Addiction Services of Thames Valley |
Heather Bishop Chair, Board of Directors CMHA Elgin Middlesex |
Sherry Smith Chair, Board of Directors CMHA Oxford |
See the full press release on this announcement here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kelly Morgan at communications [at] cmhamiddlesex [dot] ca.
