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Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) has rolled out a new peer support program for youth patients inside the Stavro Emergency Department (ED).
Since its November 2025 launch, the Pathways to Peers (P2P) program at MGH has had more than 600 patient interactions with young adult patients aged 16-29 in the ED.
The program, which is supported by the Slaight Family Foundation, consists of four peer support workers who identify youth patients in the ED and connect with them to determine what support they may need during their visit. This could include emotional support, resource referrals or making patients more comfortable by providing items like juice or a blanket.
Approximately half of the young patients the P2P team supports are visiting the ED primarily for a mental health-related concern. Others may be visiting for a different reason but still benefit from the help the peer support workers provide.
“The Emergency Department is such a busy setting, and physicians and staff typically don’t have time to sit and have long emotional conversations with patients,” says Bella Shulman, Peer Support Program Supervisor, Stavro Emergency Department at MGH.
“A lot of patients are under social and emotional stress, but they don't share this information with the medical staff because they may not feel it's pertinent to the health issue they are experiencing,” she adds.
In addition to supporting patients, the P2P program also helps staff and physicians by allowing them to focus on patient care. When patients receive emotional support and compassionate care, this means fewer interventions and escalations, making the ED environment a safer place for everyone.
Peer support workers are individuals who have lived experience with mental health and substance use challenges, and the P2P support workers receive extensive training and supervision through Peer Support Canada. They are trained in anti-racism, anti-oppression and use their lived experience in a responsible and meaningful way to help create hope and resiliency for patients.
“Peer support workers have their own experiences of seeking care and support from different hospitals and community organizations, so when folks are feeling anxious, our workers can provide insight into what that experience might be like,” Bella says.
For example, a peer support worker could speak to a patient about the different types of mental health providers available to them, such as psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists, so that patients are best able to advocate for their own needs.
Peer support workers can also advocate on behalf of patients.
“Sometimes, patients share things with peer support workers that they don’t feel comfortable sharing with medical staff,” Bella says. “Our peer support workers empower patients to speak up for themselves. Depending on their preference, peers practice with them, will be in the room with them when they speak with the doctor, or peers will communicate with the clinician on their behalf.”
The P2P program at MGH is an expansion of the RBC Pathway to Peers Program, which originated at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute.
After successfully launching the program in Mount Sinai’s emergency department in 2020, the program has now expanded to MGH, its first hospital partner.
The program’s expansion at MGH was championed by physician Dr. Nadia Primiani, who works at both MGH and Mount Sinai’s emergency departments.
“At Mount Sinai, I saw firsthand the positive impact the P2P program had on youth coming to the hospital,” Dr. Primiani says. “MGH has one of the fastest-growing EDs in Ontario, and serves an incredibly diverse population, so we felt it was a great setting for the program’s expansion.”
The expansion of the P2P program to MGH is made possible thanks to a $1 million gift from The Slaight Family Foundation. MGH is the first hospital partner and second site for the P2P program, which was first launched in 2020 as the RBC Pathway to Peers Program through Mount Sinai Hospital’s Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute.
