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Support

Programs & Services Guide
Contact ECHO
Age
18+
Intended For
Emergency department staff
Program Duration
Next Session is May 2025
Location

500 Church Street
Penetanguishene ON, L9M 1G5

Contact Information
705-549-3181

ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is an educational model that improves care for patients by connecting local healthcare providers with experts using an interactive online learning approach.

This program is free and intended for Emergency Department staff in Central region that provide care for patients with mental health and addiction concerns. The curriculum will specifically address urgent and emergent mental health care and the needs of this population.

Program Goals

This program aims to:

  1. Build non-schedule 1 & community clinicians’ capacity to manage complex mental health cases.
  2. Enhance relationships between sites and foster greater empathy towards the issues that are unique in each setting.
  3. Ensure a shared understanding of legal requirements, transfer processes and PICU/ECA and ward criteria across the system.

How does the ECHO work?

  • The hub: A team of experts at a main healthcare center.
  • The spokes: Local healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses and crisis workers.
  • Weekly online sessions: The hub team provides a short presentation. Spoke participants share patient cases and get advice from participants. This model helps local providers develop new skills and aims to reduce the need for specialist referrals.

Our program sessions are run by an inter-professional Hub Team from multiple health organizations across Central Ontario. This team is led by Dr. Andrea Waddell from Waypoint in partnership with Ontario Health.

Stay tuned as registration will open soon for our May 2025 session! If you would like to be notified when registration opens please fill out this form.

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