A hospital's emergency department is one of the most visible symbols of our healthcare system. It is highly likely over the course of your lifetime, you or a family member will use our Emergency Department - the only one in Guelph. In fact, every 11 minutes another person enters our Emergency Department needing care and treatment.

The Emergency Department is more than just the doctors and nurses. It is an interconnected system that also includes many healthcare professionals, all of whom must be well trained and well equipped.

Recently, the Emergency Department expanded with the opening of our Emergency Mental Health Unit (EMHU).

"For me, it's philanthropy in action," commented the Foundation's Executive Director, Suzanne Bone. She was speaking at the April 20^th grand opening of the new EMHU. "Our donors provided funding for this unit, and now they are able to see the impact of their gifts."

The unit provides the setting for those people in mental health crisis who require Emergency Department-based care. Jan McCormick, GGH's Director of Emergency Services, says that 6.5% of patients who come to the Emergency Department are in mental health crisis. "Now," she comments, "they will receive state-of-the-art help from a team of highly trained, mental health professionals in a safe and secure setting."

The unit, along with the services provided, are a partnership between the Hospital, Homewood Health Centre, and Trellis Mental Health and Developmental Services, and the result of years of planning by many dedicated individuals.

Donor support, through the Foundation's recent MRI & More Campaign, helped build and equip the unit. The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care provided more than $2 million, and donors contributed $900,000.

Creating the EMHU was only part of the construction project. Other changes are being made, and when all is said and done, there will be five additional patient spaces.