The Phoenix Centre for Children and Families and the Pembroke Regional Hospital are excited to share that Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones has granted approval to amalgamate the health care partners, marking a significant milestone in the region’s commitment to delivering comprehensive, seamless, and high-quality mental health care for children, youth, and families.

 

Effective April 1st, the Phoenix Centre will become part of Mental Health Services of Renfrew County, and become known as “The Phoenix Centre for Children and Families of Pembroke Regional Hospital”.

 

More importantly, all services will continue to be delivered in their current locations, with no changes to contact numbers, registration processes, or documentation systems in order to ensure a seamless and smooth transition for both clients and staff.

 

Both organizations are also excited to share that all current Phoenix Centre programs will continue without interruption.

 

“We believe this is the best path forward for our staff and the families we serve,” said Susan Kennedy, Executive Director of the Phoenix Centre. “This amalgamation will allow us to maintain our high standards of care while ensuring our team is supported and valued. It’s about delivering better care in a better way - especially for youth transitioning into adult services and for families navigating multiple systems of support.”

 

The Phoenix Centre has long been a cornerstone of child and youth mental health services in Renfrew County, supporting individuals aged 17 and under who are experiencing emotional and behavioural challenges. The proposed amalgamation is designed to preserve and enhance these services while aligning them with PRH’s broader mental health programming.

 

“This is an exciting opportunity to build a stronger, more unified system of care,” said Sabine Mersmann, President and CEO of Pembroke Regional Hospital. “By bringing together the expertise and dedication of both organizations, we can ensure that families receive the support they need at every stage of life, while also better supporting our health care workers with competitive compensation and benefits.”

 

Mrs. Mersmann added that it took a great deal of foresight and courage on behalf of the Phoenix Centre’s Board and Administration to seek out innovative alternatives that could offer a secure future for the Phoenix Centre, its services and its team.

 

This foresight was echoed by Minister Jones in her approval letter to the organizations, congratulating them on achieving this significant milestone, thanking them for their leadership and for “continuing your commitment to advancing Ontario’s vision for integrated patient care.”

 

Mrs. Mersmann and Ms. Kennedy expressed their gratitude to Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Billy Denault who has been very helpful and supportive throughout the process as well as to the Ministry of Health and all of their stakeholders for supporting this vision.

 

To ensure that the amalgamation timelines could be met if approved, a lot of work has already taken place involving the hospital’s Human Resources, Finance, and Information Technology teams along with CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees). This work will now continue and both organization Boards will also have some work to complete over the next few weeks.

 

The teams plan to have a celebration welcoming Phoenix Centre staff to PRH sometime in April.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

 

Phoenix Centre for Children and Families

Bonnie McIntyre, Administrative and Communications Assistant

(613) 432-7936, extension 321 / bmcIntyre@phoenixctr.com

 

Pembroke Regional Hospital

Carolyn Levesque, Public Affairs and Communications Coordinator

(613) 732-3675, extension 6165 / carolyn.levesque@prh.ca