Western University
IN-27: Innovation D

Thanks to an external donation, Western University hosted its first walk-in mental health clinic, in order to ease the burden of mental health emergency services that students experienced. The current offering of services towards mental health was already limited in the city; with the introduction of these Mental Health Walk-in clinics, students have access to peers (other students) that can talk to them and start receiving the attention they need before a crisis hits. After seeing their peers, students are then referred to mental health professionals to deal with their issues and concerns. Previously, students had to register weeks in advance to see a counsellor, which would add to the stress they were already experiencing. Although some referrals to external services were made, this change of environment would cause additional sources of stress. Already in this past academic year, two students (a second year and a fourth year student) have already died by suicide at Western, showcasing the need for increased attention and resources on mental health. These clinics were not started alone; this is a collaboration between Western University, King's University College, Fanshawe College and the Canadian Mental Health Association. http://lfpress.com/2017/11/09/students-spearhead-mental-health-clinics/wcm/f86154d7-d23a-4aa1-c83e-a3de9add7848 https://globalnews.ca/news/3892647/western-university-students-to-vote-on-administrative-pledge-to-mental-health/