The following items were presented during the ESHC Board of Directors Public Meeting held on September 11, 2025.
Addiction Services Expansion (Partnership with HDGH, CMHA & weCHC)
Erie Shores HealthCare (ESHC), in collaboration with Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH), CMHA Windsor-Essex County and the Windsor-Essex Community Health Centre (weCHC), is expanding addiction and crisis mental health services to better support patients and families across our region.
In the past, a weCHC addictions worker has been onsite at ESHC one day per week, providing vital support to patients seeking help with substance use. Starting in September, addiction and crisis mental health services will be available five days a week at ESHC for both emergency department patients and admitted patients. The expanded services include assessment, counselling, harm reduction, and referrals to bed-based and community-based programs.
This collaborative initiative directly responds to the urgent need for accessible addiction care in Windsor-Essex, where substance-related health concerns continue to rise. Together, our organizations are closing critical gaps in care—particularly the lack of transitional support following detox—and ensuring people seeking help have timely, appropriate access to services.
System Capacity & Surge Readiness (Flu Season 2025–26)
Regional partners—ESHC, Essex-Windsor EMS, HDGH, and Windsor Regional Hospital—are coordinating capacity and resource planning for the fall and winter surge period.
During the previous surge season, ESHC averaged 125% inpatient bed occupancy, with over 100 days above 135%, underscoring sustained demand pressures.
ESHC surge measures include the deployment of the Medical Mobile Support team, expanding the paediatric clinic, and establishing unconventional bed spaces to protect emergency capacity and maintain patient flow during peak volumes.
Urology Program Expansion
Urology returned to Leamington in November 2024 through a partnership with local urologists, bringing specialized care back for the first time since 2017.
ESHC currently performs procedures such as hydrocele repair and ureteroscopy twice weekly in the OR—allowing urologists to visualize the urinary tract, fragment or remove kidney stones, and obtain biopsies of abnormal tissue—reducing travel for Essex County residents.
Phase 2 begins in September, with a dedicated cystoscopy clinic operating one day per week, including consultations for ED follow-ups and post-operative patients, to further strengthen continuity of care.
Facilities Growth: 204 Talbot Street W. (Non-Clinical Consolidation)
In 2024, ESHC purchased 204 Talbot Street W., Leamington (adjacent to the hospital).
With Barraco Physiotherapy & Wellness relocating, ESHC will move select non-clinical services into the space in January 2026. This near-campus expansion will free up core hospital space, streamline operations, and enhance patient access, aligning physical capacity with sustained growth in demand.