Carl’s Story
May 5, 2026
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Mental illness and addiction will affect one in three people in Canada during their lifetime, creating a growing need for more accessible and effective care. The Royal’s Foundation inspires community support to advance the mission and vision of The Royal, helping improve access to care and improve outcomes through research.
Discover how the Foundation is growing philanthropic support to advance care and research for mental illness and addiction.
The Hospital’s 2025-28 Strategic Plan is focused on delivering better care for mental illness and addiction.
Explore the mission and vision that inspire The Royal's work to improve lives through mental health care, research, and education.
People come to The Royal at pivotal moments in their lives.
For some, it is the first step toward recovery. For others, it comes after months, years or even decades of trying treatments that have not worked. By the time they arrive, mental illness and addiction have often put relationships, education, careers and plans for the future on hold.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to reclaim their life from mental illness and addiction. And we know you believe that too.
Through your support, you show patients and families that they are not alone. You show researchers, clinicians and staff that their work matters. And you show our community what becomes possible when we come together.
That shared belief inspired the launch of Lives Reclaimed this spring, The Royal's campaign to improve access and outcomes through specialized care, groundbreaking research and expert-led education. It is a campaign that will help people move from crisis and uncertainty toward treatments and answers.
Thank you for placing your trust in The Royal. Together, we are advancing ideas, innovations and expertise that are creating more opportunities for people to reclaim what mental illness and addiction have put on hold.
With appreciation to our community,
Carmen Abela
Chair, Board of Directors,
Foundation
Chris Ide
President & CEO,
Foundation
We are proud to celebrate the most successful fundraising year in The Royal’s history. Every gift, every hour volunteered and every partnership contributed to this extraordinary achievement. Thank you for being part of it.
in donations committed (+149% from previous year)
cost to raise a dollar
donations
monthly donors
community-led fundraisers
In the interests of transparency and accountability, The Royal and the Foundation each publish audited financial statements every year. These reports provide a clear and accurate picture of how resources are managed and invested to support our vision and mission. Through these public statements, we ensure that the people we serve and the donors who support us can have full confidence in our stewardship.
This year, you helped The Royal bring a series of important firsts to eastern Ontario, to Canada and to the research community. From expanding access to care to improving outcomes through research, these stories highlight how new ideas, innovative approaches and breakthrough discoveries are shaping mental illness and addiction care.
When someone needs urgent support for a mental illness or addiction, where they turn matters. Thanks to you, eastern Ontario’s first and only Urgent Care Clinic will help people receive the care they need at a moment when timely support can make all the difference.
A new Day Detox Program offers flexible recovery options for addiction, allowing patients to receive treatment while remaining connected to work, family and other responsibilities. The innovative model is helping make recovery more accessible for people across our community.
A major research investment is helping scientists learn more about how mental illness and addiction affect the brain. As the first initiative of its kind in Canada, this work has the potential to accelerate discoveries and improve outcomes for decades to come.
For decades, scientists have been able to measure heartbeats, breathing and brainwaves, but not the duration of thoughts. Using EEG, researchers at The Royal revealed that different types of thoughts unfold at different speeds, opening a new window into how mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder work.
The Royal became the first organization in Canada to offer Feeling Safe, an evidence-based therapy designed to help people living with schizophrenia and psychosis regain a sense of safety, confidence and independence. Researchers are also studying its impact, helping shape the future of care.
These numbers reflect the breadth of care, research and education underway across The Royal and their collective impact on improving access and outcomes for people living with mental illness and addiction.
patients cared for across The Royal
inpatient admissions
physicians
researchers, from early-career scientists to world-renowned leaders
learners training with The Royal's clinical and research teams
research participants across 172 research studies
peer-reviewed publications
Some of today's most promising treatments for mental illness and addiction were once considered new and unproven. Through research, expertise, education and advocacy, The Royal is helping bring these treatments into care today while building the case for broader access in the future.
As a result, more people are benefiting from therapies such as neuromodulation and ketamine than ever before. Their growing role in patient care reflects both increasing demand for innovative treatment options and The Royal's commitment to making them more available, without delay.
How donors are helping make this growth possible:
As demand for mental illness and addiction care grows, accessing the right support can be challenging for those seeking care and the families and loved ones supporting them. We're committed to reducing barriers and creating new front doors to care — from the Urgent Care Clinic to resources that help people find the support they need.
This year, the donor-funded Sheila Cudney Client and Family Resource Hub reached an incredible milestone, welcoming more than 10,000 visitors since opening just three years ago.
The Hub was created in response to patient and family feedback and made possible through donor support. Today, it serves as a trusted resource for patients, families and community members seeking information, guidance and connection.
This year, more than 15,000 people received care through The Royal's inpatient, outpatient and community-based programs. Another 7,000 participated in research, seeking answers for themselves, their loved ones or people they may never meet.
Here are some of their stories:
We’re grateful for your generosity and continually inspired by all the ways you show up. From hosting and attending events to supporting them behind the scenes, your involvement drives our work forward all year long.
Here are some of the moments, milestones and people who made this year one to remember:
Momentum is building across The Royal thanks to support of the Lives Reclaimed campaign. Here are a few moments that we're looking forward to in the year ahead.
Your support helps The Royal create an environment where skilled and dedicated teams can deliver specialized care, advance research and improve outcomes for people living with mental illness and addiction.
The Royal is proud to be accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada, recognized as one of the National Capital Region’s Top Employers and ranked among Canada’s leading research hospitals.
Charitable registration number: 119129179 RR 0001
Stay connected to Lives Reclaimed with updates, stories, and campaign milestones.
1145 Carling Ave.,
Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4
(613) 722-6521
1141 Carling Ave.,
Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4
(613) 722-6521
1804 Highway 2 E, P.O. Box 1050,
Brockville, ON K6V 5W7
(613) 345-1461
2121 Carling Ave.,
Ottawa, ON K2A 1H2
(613) 722-6521
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