People in distress, experiencing anxiety or who have a mental health disorder can go to a CLSC of the CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre to get help, without having an appointment.
“A worker will see you in less than an hour,” said the Minister responsible for Social Services, Dr.r Lionel Carmant, who held a press conference on this subject on Monday in Brossard, accompanied by his parliamentary assistant, Shirley Dorismond.
No one will fall between two stools, he assures. “If there are telephone follow-ups to be made, they are done within 24 hours.”
Montérégie-Centre is the “first territory in Quebec” to offer a walk-in service for mental health problems in all its CLSCs, open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., he says.
Minister Carmant plans to extend this model to the entire province. He wants to reproduce the formula of “Aires ouvertes”, a service with or without appointment offered by CLSCs to 12 to 25 year olds who need help. A nurse or social worker welcomes the young people on site and helps them find solutions to their problems.
According to the minister, the waiting list for mental health services for young people has decreased by more than half since April 2023, following the implementation of “Open Areas” offered in around forty service points in Quebec.
Opting for the CLSC remains a better “option” than waiting at the hospital, according to Dr.r Carmant. “In emergencies, the issue is often that we are classified as non-urgent,” he recalls. “We wait seven, eight, nine or ten hours.”
The minister encourages citizens of Montérégie-Centre who are currently on a mental health waiting list and whose case needs to be “reassessed” to go to a CLSC in their territory. “There is nothing stopping you from doing so and your service can be reprioritized,” he says.
People who prefer to speak to a psychosocial worker on the phone can contact the Info-Social line (811, option 2). “Most calls are answered within three minutes,” says Dr.r Carmant.