COLD LAKE - To enhance mental health services accessibility, the Cold Lake Health Care Centre has been running a weekly walk-in clinic for individuals seeking support for various mental health concerns.
Diana Rinne, Senior Communications Advisor at Alberta Health Services (AHS), shared insights into this initiative with Lakeland This Week. She noted that the weekly walk-in clinic times were added to services provided at the Cold Lake Mental Health office in late 2022 and have been taking place ever since.
The walk-in clinic, located on the second floor of the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre at 314 25 Street, operates every Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., welcoming adults, youth, children, and their families, without any specific requirements or documents needed for access.
“The walk-in clinic is a first point of contact for people seeking support for a variety of mental health concerns,” Rinne explained. “Therapists will gather information during the walk-in clinic to complete an intake. Once the intake is done, the client would be booked into a mental health assessment appointment for ongoing therapy or be referred to other community resources if appropriate.”
Clients visiting the walk-in clinic receive immediate support, including a risk assessment and a safety plan, if necessary. Rinne emphasized the clinic's role in providing continuity of care by facilitating intakes and scheduling clients for ongoing therapy services, or referring them to more suitable community resources based on individual needs.
“The Walk-in clinic provides the opportunity to complete an intake, and then clients are booked in for ongoing therapy services after the intake, if appropriate,” Rinne explained.
Individuals interested in learning more about the service can call 780-639-4922 for more information, or simply walk in during the specified clinic hours.
