CHIPPEWAS OF RAMA DONATE $115K FOR MENTAL HEALTH ROOMS

'WE FEEL YOUR APPRECIATION FOR OUR CONTRIBUTION,' SAYS CHIPPEWAS CHIEF

A donation from the Chippewas of Rama First Nation will allow Orillia's hospital to create a space for vulnerable community members.

Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital opened two new mental health safe rooms in its emergency department thanks to a $115,000 commitment from the nation, OSMH said May 30.

Philip Hough, OSMH's program director of Critical Care and Mental Health Services, said the single safe room the hospital had before was not enough to meet the needs of the community.

"We had been limited in our capacity to safely care for those experiencing issues with mental health, and recognized that with increasing presentations to the emergency department, we needed to do something about it," Hough said in a media release.

Chief Ted Williams and the council of Rama First Nation were present during the official opening of the safe rooms, performing a traditional smudging ceremony.

"We've come a long way in a short amount of time for understanding the needs of the Indigenous community," Williams said.

"Ten to 15 years ago, a smudge ceremony wasn't even seen as a possibility at the hospital, yet here we are, and we feel your appreciation for our contribution."

"We are honoured to have community partners who are supporting the hospital's growing capacity for care," OSMH president and CEO Carmine Stumpo said in the release.

"I thank the Chippewas of Rama First Nation for allowing more opportunity for patients needing urgent mental health care and for honouring the hospital and community with the smudge ceremony and blessing."

The Chippewas of Rama

have continued to provide significant support for the hospital with a giving total of $685,000 over the past 20 years, according to the

OSMH.

In addition to the mental health safe beds, their most recent pledge of $115,000 has allowed for the

purchase of automated medication dispensing cabinets for various units around the hospital, according to the release.