Why Clinique Vivago Was Created: How Clinique Vivago Is Redefining Access to Mental Health Services in Montreal
- Giovanni Arcuri
- May 7, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Author: Gio Arcuri, OT, MSc
May 7, 2024
Canadians are living longer, healthier lives.
But living longer does not necessarily mean accessing care more easily.
Across the country, healthcare systems are struggling to meet growing demand. In 2021, nearly 2.5 million Canadians reported not having access to the physical health and mental health services that they need. Among those who did access care, many described barriers such as long wait times, limited appointment availability, and difficulty navigating the system (Statistics Canada, 2023).
The problem is not simply illness.
It is access.
The Rising Need for Access to Mental Health Services
Since 2015, the demand for mental health care has increased steadily.
In 2022:
Over 3.4 million Canadians aged 12+ were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder
Over 3.1 million were diagnosed with a mood disorder
These numbers likely underestimate the true need, as many individuals never access formal care.
Among youth, the situation is particularly concerning. In 2023, 2 in 5 Canadian children and adolescents reported not accessing care for a mental health concern (CIHI, 2023).
The most commonly reported barriers:
Long wait times
Feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to access care
Limited appointment availability
Fear of stigma
Feeling misunderstood or dismissed
Mental health demand is rising — but system capacity is not keeping pace.
Who Is Disproportionately Affected?
Access gaps affect multiple populations:
Older adults requiring home and community care
Caregivers managing complex responsibilities
Youth navigating early mental health concerns
Equity-deserving communities
Individuals requiring functional, cognitive, and mental health support
Wait times for publicly funded mental health care continue to increase internationally.
As noted in prior academic work on student mental health access:
(Yuen, Arcuri, Cornish, Stewart, 2022)
This tension — between need and capacity — raises urgent questions:
How do we reduce wait times?
How do we improve navigation?
How do we make care more inclusive and accessible?
How do we respond without compromising quality?
The Birth of Clinique Vivago
Clinique de santé inclusive Vivago was born from these questions.
The clinic emerged from years of work addressing healthcare accessibility challenges at McGill University, where innovative models grounded in:
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Client- and family-centered care
System optimization
Inclusive and affirming practice
were implemented to improve access and reduce system strain.
The goal was not simply to create another private clinic.
The goal was to create a model.
A model aligned with evidence-based stepped-care principles — where intensity of service matches level of need — and where care is delivered efficiently, collaboratively, and inclusively.
A Different Approach to Private Mental Health Care
In the private sector, access often improves — but cost, fragmentation, and lack of coordination remain barriers.
Vivago was designed to:
Reduce fragmentation across disciplines
Align services with evidence-based stepped-care
Integrate occupational therapy, psychotherapy, psychiatry, and other services
Improve navigation
Support functional recovery, not just symptom reduction
Offer inclusive, affirming care for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities
Mental health is not only psychological.
It is functional, relational, occupational, and systemic.
Care must reflect that complexity.
Beyond Treatment: Optimizing Systems
The Vivago mental health clinic is not only about individual sessions.
It is about:
Rethinking access
Optimizing care pathways
Bridging public-private gaps
Reducing wait-time burden
Creating scalable models
The work continues through:
Academic research
Public advocacy
Community partnerships
Because improving mental health access requires both clinical innovation and system-level thinking.
About the author
Gio Arcuri, OT, MSc, is an occupational therapist, McGill University lecturer, healthcare entrepreneur, writer and CEO of Clinique de santé inclusive Vivago. He also is President of Fondation Vivago, advancing inclusive mental health. His work—on family-centered care, young adult mental health access, and more—appears in peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. Gio is also a member of the mental health expert committee for Fondation Jeunes en tête and columnist for Les Connecteurs on Apple News and has been featured in La Presse and on AMI-télé, sharing his expertise widely. He champions evidence-based, accessible care, especially for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
References:
Canadian Institute for Health Information. CIHI. (2024, May 2). https://www.cihi.ca/en
Statistics Canada (2023). Statistics Canada: Canada’s National Statistical Agency / Statistique Canada : Organisme Statistique National du Canada. Government of Canada. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/
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