Woodstock Hospital releases HART Hub update

The former Woodstock Private Hospital is now the site of the Oxford HART Hub’s temporary Wellness Centre. The building will offer several services, including transitional housing while construction continues at the permanent Graham Street location. (Lee Griffi Photo)

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Woodstock Hospital has released a long-awaited update on the progress of the Oxford HART Hub.

“Woodstock Hospital and a network of local partners, collaborating through the Oxford Ontario Health Team (OHT), are pleased to announce a phased-in approach to services for the Oxford Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub - a made-in-Oxford model of care that will connect health, housing, and social supports across the County,” according to a press release.

The release stated that while the term “Hub” may sound like a single site, it is actually a coordinated system of local organizations working together to lead people to supports for recovery and long-term stability.

“Part of this new system will be the Oxford County Wellness Centre. To ensure residents can begin accessing services while construction continues at the permanent Wellness Centre at 16 Graham Street, a temporary location will open at 369 Huron Street in Woodstock,” added the release. The location is the former Woodstock Private Hospital, which operated for years as a small long-term care home.

“The temporary site allows us to start helping people right now while building toward the full vision of the HART Hub,” said Teresa Martins, Executive Director of the Oxford OHT. “By working together across organizations, we’re ensuring that care is seamless — the right help, at the right time, close to home.”

A new central intake process launched on Nov. 3, allowing those looking for mental health and addictions support to self-refer by calling 519-537-2382, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The HART Hub is phasing in several services, including 24/7 central intake supports and system navigation, outpatient group therapy sessions to support recovery and wellness, mental health and addictions transitional supportive housing and primary care. There will also be four beds for “withdrawal management and six beds for addiction supportive treatment.”

The temporary Wellness Centre will be staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including nursing staff, social workers, peer support workers, and recreational therapists. There will also be on-site security, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all clients, staff, and neighbours.

“We are proud to begin offering additional mental health and addiction supports for Woodstock and Oxford County residents,” said Perry Lang, Woodstock Hospital President and CEO. “I want to thank the staff and service providers involved in reaching this important milestone in the Oxford HART Hub’s implementation. This work lays the foundation for the future Oxford County Wellness Centre on Graham Street.”

The temporary Huron Street location is a voluntary treatment and recovery facility with four withdrawal management beds and six supportive treatment beds.

“Individuals may stay in the withdrawal management beds for up to 14 days and in the supportive treatment beds for up to three months. Bed-based care will begin in December. Also starting in December, there will be community mental health and addictions programming accessible without a residential stay in welcoming, accessible community spaces across Oxford County,” explained Jillaine Blair, Manager of Outpatient Mental Health and Addictions.

“We would prefer not to use the term ‘sheltering’ to avoid public confusion about this being a shelter. The Wellness Centre is a voluntary treatment and recovery facility, not a shelter and not a supervised drug consumption site,” she added.

Lang said significant progress has been made at the Graham Street site. Soil remediation and interior demolition are complete, and a site plan approval has been submitted to the city and county for their review and approval.

“We have engaged a general contractor and are working with architects to accelerate construction. We don’t have a potential opening date just yet. We understand the urgent need for these services in our community, and that’s why we opened the temporary site on Huron Street,” he added.

Lang said a great deal of foundational work has been happening, including the formation of an implementation team and working groups representing more than 16 community organizations.

“The Oxford OHT hosted co-design sessions across Oxford County with nearly 100 participants, including people with lived and living experience of homelessness and addiction. The Oxford United Way also hosted Harwood Community Conversations about the Oxford HART Hub.”

Lang admitted they have received some questions and concerns from some residents about the Graham Street location, which is why a community consultation was completed.

“A report on what we learned from this engagement will be shared soon. We feel the concerns may stem from confusion about what the Wellness Centre will be and what it’s not. It is a voluntary treatment and recovery facility — not a shelter and not a supervised drug consumption site. It is designed to help people safely begin or continue recovery with dignity.”

The centre will be staffed 24/7 by healthcare professionals, including nurses, social workers, peer support workers, therapists, nurse practitioners and, over time, psychiatrists - and supported by on-site security to help maintain a safe environment for clients, staff, and the surrounding community.

“When people get the right care at the right time, emergency visits drop, crises are less visible, and communities become safer for everyone, including businesses, schools, and neighbours. The Oxford HART Hub helps local people stabilize, recover, and return to fuller participation in community life, contributing to Oxford’s safety, health, and shared well-being,” added Lang.

Next year, the HART Hub client continuum of care, which will include primary care, case management and transitional housing service types, will be phased in.

When completed, the permanent Wellness Centre at 16 Graham Street will offer 50 beds and a full continuum of co-located services under one roof.