MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2026
Transportation to NHH Community Mental Health Walk-in Clinic Supported by 100+ Women Grant
NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY – Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) Foundation has been selected as a recipient of the 100+ Women Who Care Northumberland September 2026 grant. The grant, which totals $6,939.72, was presented to representatives from NHH and NHH Foundation at the group’s November 10 meeting.
Championed by long-time 100+ Women member, Jennifer Darrell, at the September 15, 2026 meeting, the grant will support a pilot project to provide transportation for those in Northumberland County to access NHH’s Mental Health Walk-in Counselling service. The program, now operational, is a new partnership with Community Care Northumberland.
“For many people in the County, getting to the Counselling service in Cobourg is simply not possible,” shared Darrell at the September meeting. “People living in our rural communities who don’t have reliable transportation may never receive the care they need – not because the service doesn’t exist, but because they can’t get to it. Today, we have an opportunity to change that.”
During her presentation, Darrell shared her own personal story of accessing the service and advocated for the 100+ Women group to direct their support to help ensure others can get the care they need.
“We live in a large county where transportation is often the obstacle between someone in crisis and the help they desperately need,” continued Darrell. “The therapists are here. The clinic is here. The care is here. Together, we can make sure lack of transportation isn’t the reason someone goes without the help they need.”
In addition to Darrell’s, the 100+ Women group heard two other presentations on behalf of nominated charities up for consideration before members cast votes on where to direct the collective September fund. The group follows a structured approach to grant distribution, where donations are allocated on a 75/25 ratio basis, meaning the charity receiving the most votes during the community meetings will be awarded 75% of the total grant for that meeting, while the remaining 25% is distributed among the other two nominated charities. NHH Foundation was the recipient of 75% of the total grant.
Attending the November 10 meeting to receive the funds and provide an update on the use of the grant was Kate Ingram, NHH Foundation Director, Major Gifts and Campaigns, as well as Shawn Senecal, NHH Interim Integrated Director, Community Mental Health Services. During the meeting, it was shared that the new pilot transportation program supported by the grant had already successfully helped its first client.
With this program now in place, clients of either NHH or Campbellford Memorial Hospital are able to book transportation with Community Care Northumberland to attend NHH’s Mental Health Walk-in Counselling, which is available for children, youth and adults (aged 7 and up) on Tuesdays from 8:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. and Thursdays from 10:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. at NHH’s Community Mental Health Services office located at 1011 Elgin Street West, Suite 200, Cobourg. Community Care is then reimbursed for the travel service by NHH Foundation from the fund established from the 100+ Women grant.
Additional details on the Walk-in Counselling Service can be found at www.nhh.ca/walk-in-counselling and details on the difference community support makes at NHH can be found at www.NHHFoundation.ca.
