PREPARED BY: Senior Management
DATE: 2026-09-24
SUBJECT: Youth Mobile Clinic (YMC) Summer 2026 Update
BACKGROUNDS
As outlined in previous reports to the Board of Health, Locally Driven Population Health Models (LDPHM) in Ontario—formerly known as the High-Priority Communities Strategy—support community-based approaches intended to improve outcomes for populations experiencing higher needs and inequities in access to care. The models respond to local priorities and are advanced through collaboration among Ontario Health Teams, public health units, and community partners.
LDPHM supports more coordinated action on the social determinants of health, improves access to tailored interventions for priority populations, strengthens system partnerships, and promotes health equity through community-informed service design. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) co-leads this work locally through the LDPHM Steering Committee in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Windsor-Essex (CMHA-WEC) and the Windsor Essex Ontario Health Team (WEOHT).
The Board has previously received information on the 2025–2026 LDPHM workplan and its two streams: the Interprofessional-Led Outreach Teams (I-LOT) for priority neighbourhoods and the Youth Mobile Clinic–Mental Health Strategy. As previously reported, the Youth Mobile Clinic (YMC) Mental Health Project was designed to meet youth where they are, initially through school-based settings. The flexible mobile model supports access for youth who may be less likely to engage through traditional care pathways and can facilitate earlier intervention. The YMC provides free, confidential services for youth up to 18 years of age and their families through an interdisciplinary team that includes social workers and a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN). Services include single-session mental health counselling, brief intervention and system navigation support, physical health assessments, minor wound care, vaccine support and navigation, and connections to ongoing primary care services. In-person, virtual, and telephone supports are available.
As noted in earlier Board reports, an in-school mobile mental health strategy was launched in May 2025 at the first of three planned local secondary schools through collaboration among the WECHU, Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB), CMHA-WEC, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare’s Regional Children’s Centre (HDGH), and the Lead Agency for Child and Youth Mental Health. Participating schools are located in priority neighbourhoods and were selected based on demonstrated mental health needs within their school communities. The on-site mobile team includes interdisciplinary professionals with expertise in social work and primary care nursing.
The WECHU serves as a public-health system partner and local co-lead. Its responsibilities include co-leading the LDPHM Steering Committee; using population-health and health-equity evidence to identify priority populations, neighbourhoods, and service gaps; coordinating health, education, municipal, and community partners; and supporting prevention, early intervention, health promotion, vaccine navigation, and connections to primary care and community services. The WECHU also assists with program design, implementation, communications, monitoring, and evaluation. Clinical services are delivered by the interdisciplinary Youth Mobile Clinic team and participating service organizations (not the WECHU) within their professional and organizational mandates.
DISCUSSION
This report provides an update on the next phase of the YMC initiative previously reported to the Board. Building on the school-based model launched in 2025, partners extended the YMC into community settings during summer 2026 to maintain access to mental health and primary care supports for youth and families while school was not in session. Activities included municipal outreach, community-based programming, school-board-coordinated back-to-school supports, nurse practitioner-led clinic services, and virtual parent education sessions.
Key summer 2026 YMC activities included:
- Sandwich Teen Action Group (STAG), Windsor: YMC provided onsite support on July 30 and August 6, 2026, offering walk-in health and mental health services for youth and families and participating in community-based summer programming. Services were available from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on both dates.
- Town of Amherstburg: YMC services were delivered at the Libro Recreation Centre on August 4 and 5, 2026, with walk-in health and mental health support available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.
- Town of Essex: YMC provided onsite support during SQUAD Camp at the Maedel Community Centre from August 17 to 20, 2026. YMC staff provided walk-in access to health and mental health services, wellness education, and community resource navigation from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
- Lakeshore Community Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (LCNPLC): The Youth Mobile Clinic provided weekly services at the LCNPLC every Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. between June 26 and August 28, 2026, providing an additional access point for youth and families seeking physical and mental health support.
- School-board outreach: YMC and school mental health partners delivered back-to-school drop-in supports across participating school sites from August 24 to September 4, 2026, to assist youth and families as they transitioned into the new academic year.
- Parent education seminar: A virtual parent/guardian education seminar, “From Summer to Success: Back to School with Confidence”, took place on August 27, 2026. The seminar was offered twice, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. and again from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., to maximize accessibility for caregivers. The session provided information on community resources and practical strategies to support youth with the transition back to school, including establishing routine and structure, encouraging school attendance, managing school-related stress and anxiety, and fostering healthy communication with peers, teachers, and family members.