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Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care

Coordinates: 44°48′03″N 79°55′46″W / 44.800804°N 79.929452°W / 44.800804; -79.929452
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care
Map
Geography
LocationPenetanguishene, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada
Organization
Care systemPublic Medicare (Canada) (OHIP)
TypeSpecialist
Services
Beds301
SpecialtyPsychiatric hospital
History
Opened15 August 1904
Links
WebsiteOfficial website
ListsHospitals in Canada

Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (French: Waypoint Centre de soins de santé mentale) formerly known as Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene, is a 301-bed psychiatric hospital located on Georgian Bay in the Town of Penetanguishene, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Toronto. Waypoint provides both acute and longer-term psychiatric inpatient and outpatient services to Simcoe County, Dufferin County and Muskoka/Parry Sound. In addition, Waypoint provides the province's only high secure forensic hospital for clients served by both the mental health and justice systems. In the 1960s the hospital began to treat patients such as Peter Woodcock with LSD (otherwise known as 'acid'),[1] another form of treatment included the STU program.

Oak Ridge new building

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Built in 1933 on the site of an old British military garrison, the Oak Ridge "Criminal Insane Building" (generally referred to as the "New Building") served as a forensic mental health care unit for Penetanguishene[2] for 81 years. Starting on February 21, 1933, with 152 beds it was doubled in size in 1957 and eventually demolished in 2014.[3] (44°48′01″N 79°55′34″W / 44.80041°N 79.92606°W / 44.80041; -79.92606) Under Dr. Elliot Thompson Barker and Dr. Gary J. Maier, the psychiatric centre was notorious for torture and use of LSD that led to its closure.[4][5]

Current status

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The Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care has remodeled itself in current years, further updating the prison. The prison currently has more than 1,200 workers.[6] Forty percent of these workers work part-time.[6]

Notable patients

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Notable staff

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  • Wayne G. King (born 1951), ice hockey winger; worked as a security guard and mental health worker
  • Vernon Quinsey (born 1944), psychologist

References

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  1. ^ "The Oak Ridge Program · Treatment · Remembering Oak Ridge". historyexhibit.waypointcentre.ca. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  2. ^ Christina Bernardo (February 27, 2009). "Penetang's Oak Ridge being replaced". Barrie Examiner. Sun Media. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  3. ^ "Remembering Oak Ridge Digital Archive and Exhibit".
  4. ^ Michelle McQuigge (June 8, 2017). "Treatment at Ontario mental health facility was 'torture', judge finds". The Canadian Press. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  5. ^ Sean Fine (June 7, 2017). "Doctors tortured patients at Ontario mental-health centre, judge rules". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Critical Safety issues at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care". OPSEU. Retrieved 2019-07-26.

44°48′03″N 79°55′46″W / 44.800804°N 79.929452°W / 44.800804; -79.929452