Oshawa Crisis centre renamed in honour of long-time CEO

Durham Mental Health Services (DMHS) has renamed its Oshawa Crisis location in honour of its long-time chief executive officer.

Lakeridge Health and DMHS amalgamated on Oct. 1 and one of the last decisions the DMHS board made was to rename the centre to the Adams Centre in honour of its CEO, Rob Adams.

Adams started with the agency in 1992 as program director. He took over as executive director in 1998 and led the “extraordinary growth and success of the agency, which included the steady expansion of existing programs and the addition of many new and innovative services,” states a DMHS press release.

During his tenure, Adams expanded the DMHS Supportive Housing program, opening seven locations and developing a rent-supplement program for the region; created and lead homelessness initiatives; expanded crisis services from a single-location to three beds locations plus a Crisis Access Linkage Line (C.A.L.L.) Centre; developed hubs for community-based seniors support in Whitby and Ajax; and established one of the largest peer support programs in Ontario.

“The board of directors is honoured to name the Oshawa Crisis location the Adams Centre. Rob Adams has led our organization through tremendous expansion and helped clients live to their fullest potential in our community while reducing the stigma of mental health so people do not need to live in fear or silence if they are suffering from these health issues,” says DMHS Board President Bill Sims. “Naming this crisis centre in his honour will provide a lasting testament to Rob’s dedication to our clients and staff.”

Durham Regional Chair John Henry says Durham is a place where every person is “treated with dignity and respect” to ensure no one gets left behind or falls through the cracks.

“Rob Adams has worked to make our community better, create partnerships that led to positive local impacts, and making sure our most vulnerable people were taken care of,” says Henry. “Choose the name Adams Centre is a direct reflection of what they do on a daily basis – take care of our most vulnerable, in the same way Rob set the example in our community.”

Adams will stay on until the end of the year to help with the integration.