Hospital CEO agrees with Romanick inquest recommendation to expand mental health service | CBC News

WARNING: This story discusses suicide.

The CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare agrees with the recommendation to expand its Mental Health and Addictions Urgent Care Centre (MHAUCC) after a recommendation from the inquest into the death of Chad Romanick. 

Romanick shot and killed himself after a standoff with Windsor police in 2017. That was just a few days after police brought Romanick into an emergency room at Windsor Regional Hospital in crisis.

The SIU found there were no reasonable grounds to lay charges against officers involved in 2018.

The recommendation for Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Windsor Regional Hospital to explore the feasibility of expanding the MHUACC “to provide 24-hour coverage for persons in crisis” was one of 15 non-binding recommendations that a jury decided to put forward after the inquest concluded on Wednesday. 

Currently the centre, which offers walk-in service for anyone over the age of 16 “who cannot safely wait for community mental health and addiction support,” is open between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

“I understand the merit behind the recommendation and certainly we agree with that,” said Bill Marra, CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare. 

“That will take some time to work through with our partners, with the Ontario health team, with Ontario Health West, with service providers.”

Marra said he believes the recommendations made at the inquest are a “sound plan.”

“Ultimately it’s one strategy,” he said. “There isn’t one recommendation on its own that will dramatically create significant change and fix everything.”

CBC spoke with Marra in 2022 about the idea of providing 24/7 care at the MHUACC.

Windsor Police ‘grateful’ to jury for recommendations

There were several recommendations aimed at Windsor Police Services, including incorporating the two calls made by Romanick to 9-1-1 into scenario-based training and saying hospitals and police could work more closely together to determine which mobile crisis team should be strategically deployed to a crisis call.

“We are grateful to the members of the jury for their time and commitment during this inquest,” deputy chief Karel DeGraaf said in a written statement.

“[We] welcome this opportunity to examine our existing procedures and policies to ensure we are providing the best policing services to our community, including individuals who are going through mental health crisis.”

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