Leading Distress and Crisis Ontario, DCO is a privilege I take seriously. As we continue to shelter during this pandemic and provide care for individuals in distress with mental health and suicidal ideations, in increased numbers, this responsibility has taken on a new urgency. My goals to expand our membership, be more accessible and improve our service excellence are being met. Our new website is key in achieving these goals, as are the volunteers who continue to provide services even though they are experiencing their own pandemic challenges. Thank you volunteers. 

It is an honor to work alongside the many dedicated individuals and groups who are committed to continue providing services under these challenging times. Thank you to Ontogether.org https://www.ontogether.org/ for providing us with a resiliency poster -Home Team, that supports the work we do.  The increased demand for services is being met by each Distress Center.  

The Team at DCO have been working on improving our data collection, providing up to date information on COVID-19 through our podcasts, E-news & views and webinars. We continued to plan and deliver essential services such as education through our conferences and updating our Learning Forum modules. We met advocacy and networking deliverables through meetings with community partners such as Wellbeing Waterloo to create a guideline for grieving during loss, death and dying in a pandemic https://www.wellbeingwaterloo.ca/blog/grief-dying-and-death-during-a-pandemic. 

These unprecedented times have called for us to collaborate, share and be creative- we are meeting the demands. We are here to listen, support and refer. Thank you for trusting us, volunteering with us and challenging us to do better. We are committed to meeting your expectations. 

Stay safe, be well, reach out for assistance if you need it and know that we will gather again soon. 

Neta Gear

Executive Director