The Royal has officially finished building its urgent care clinic for mental health, addressing a gap that’s been around for over 25 years.
On Sept. 18, the hospital introduced the Minto Greenberg Urgent Care Clinic, which is the only facility in eastern Ontario offering immediate, specialized support for adults facing a mental health crisis.
Cara Vaccarino, president and CEO of The Royal, mentioned that the clinic will open on Sept. 21; however, they’ve already seen great success since their soft launch in April.
“We’ve had close to 700 visits already, so obviously we’re filling a demand,” Vaccarino shared in an interview.
This new clinic signifies the return of urgent mental health services after The Royal’s emergency department closed in 2000 due to significant hospital restructuring. Over the years since then, Vaccarino noted that patients have struggled to find specialized urgent care and have often turned to regular emergency departments during crises.
Those departments are already under strain, and she pointed out that about half of those experiencing a mental health crisis typically leave without being seen. This isn’t ideal, as 62 percent of patients they’ve encountered so far have reported suicidal thoughts.
The Royal launched the Minto Greenberg Urgent Care Clinic on Sept. 18 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new clinic aims to provide these patients with quick and specialized care while also helping reduce pressure on emergency rooms and primary care doctors who have managed most mental health issues in the city until now.
“It was really an imperative that The Royal step up and lean into their accountabilities in this way and do our fair share,” Vaccarino said.
The urgent care clinic will function as a walk-in facility and will accept referrals from other hospitals and physicians throughout eastern Ontario. It’s situated in a refurbished office space at The Royal on Carling Avenue and features a direct entrance from the front of the building.
Construction took around seven months to complete, funded through community donations. Chris Ide, president and CEO of The Foundation at The Royal, stated they raised $4 million for this project quickly due to public enthusiasm for the cause.
An inside view of The Royal’s new Minto Greenberg Urgent Care Clinic.
To support its operation financially, Vaccarino mentioned they had to think outside the box since asking for more funding from the province wasn’t an option.
Like many hospitals across Ontario , The Royal is facing debt. As of March 2025 , it recorded a deficit of $6.5 million. Hospitals were instructed by the province to balance their budgets within three years.
Vaccarino acknowledged that public hospitals are “in a very bad predicament,” but added that “we knew (the clinic) was something we had to do.”
To make it work , they reorganized all internal operations – reducing programs from 17 down to three , streamlining administration processes as well. She said these changes have already shown positive outcomes.
“We’ve already decreased our wait times by 60 percent,” she reported. Specifically , wait times for their mood and anxiety program used to be two years long but have now dropped down to four months; they aim to cut this even more.
An inside view of The Royal’s new Minto Greenberg Urgent Care Clinic.
Next up , they’ll start fundraising efforts aimed at extending clinic hours.
“We’re preparing to do that as soon as possible,” Vaccarino mentioned.
Stephanie Carter , The Royal’s executive director of clinical services , explained how this clinic will function similarly to standard emergency rooms with triage areas , assessments , plus six interview rooms available.
At least ten staff members will be present Monday through Friday between eight AM till four PM including ER doctors , psychiatrists , nurse practitioners , social workers , psychiatric nurses along with peer support specialists too.
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There are access doors connecting back into other parts of hospital should emergencies arise ; however if cases are less severe then team can create tailored treatment plans based off needs identified during assessment process instead
“ It’s been quite impactful experience,” Carter reflected<P CLASS =" MB -..
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