A few weeks ago, Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist and co-owner of MindSpa Mental Health Centre, sat down with Hoda Mankal, NP. Hoda is part of the Ottawa Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (OttawaNPLC) in Vanier.
Their conversation highlighted something important about community health care in Ottawa. Supporting well-being often requires connection across different parts of the health-care system.
MindSpa focuses on mental health care, psychotherapy, neurofeedback, assessments, and related services. OttawaNPLC provides community-based primary care. The organizations serve people in different ways. However, they share several priorities, including compassion, accessibility, whole-person care, and better connections to support.
Supporting Community Health Care in Ottawa
OttawaNPLC has been serving the Vanier and Overbrook community since 2025. The not-for-profit clinic is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and uses a team-based model in which nurse practitioners serve as primary health-care providers.
The clinic describes its approach as holistic, addressing physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being rather than treating each part of a person’s health in isolation.
That approach resonated with Tina.
At MindSpa Mental Health Centre, we also see mental health as part of a much larger picture. Many factors can affect mental health. These include sleep, relationships, physical health, stress, trauma, work, family circumstances, and access to care.
Different health-care providers have different roles. However, thoughtful communication and appropriate referrals can help people find the care that best matches their needs.
Shared Values Across Primary and Mental Health Care
Several themes stood out during Tina and Hoda’s conversation.
Whole-Person Care
Health concerns rarely exist in isolation. Physical health can affect emotional well-being. Mental health can influence sleep, relationships, work, and daily functioning. Social circumstances matter too. They can affect whether someone can attend appointments, follow a treatment plan, or access support.
OttawaNPLC’s team-based model recognizes these connections. Similarly, MindSpa’s mental health services are designed to give clients different ways to access support depending on their needs.
Compassion and Equity
Compassion is more than being kind. In health care, it can also mean considering the circumstances that affect someone’s ability to receive care.
OttawaNPLC identifies compassion and equity among its core commitments, including trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care and efforts to reduce barriers to access.
These principles are especially meaningful in community health settings, where health is often shaped by much more than what happens during an appointment.
Innovation and Partnership
Another shared value is a willingness to think about how care can work better. Sometimes that means offering a different model of care. At other times, it means recognizing when another health professional or community organization is better positioned to help. No single clinic can meet every need. A strong community care network depends on providers understanding their own scope while also knowing where else people may be able to find appropriate support.
OttawaNPLC and Trillium Vanier Pharmacy
One example Tina appreciated was OttawaNPLC’s working relationship with Trillium Vanier Pharmacy. As Hoda described it, the connection goes both ways. When someone contacts the clinic with a need the pharmacy team may be better positioned to address, they can be directed there. Likewise, when the pharmacy encounters something that requires the clinic’s scope of care, the connection can move in the other direction.
It is a simple idea, but an important one: people should not have to navigate every part of the health-care system alone.
Who Does OttawaNPLC Serve?
OttawaNPLC is a community-based primary care clinic focused on residents of Vanier and Overbrook within the K1L and K1K postal code areas.
It is not a general walk-in clinic.
Because patient attachment and availability can change, anyone looking for primary care should review the clinic’s current patient information before contacting the clinic.
At the time of publication, OttawaNPLC reports that direct new-patient self-registration is closed. New patients are being attached through Health Care Connect and referrals from community organizations as capacity allows.
People in Ontario who do not currently have a family doctor or nurse practitioner can also learn more about Health Care Connect.
Supporting OttawaNPLC’s Community Golf Fundraiser
OttawaNPLC is also bringing the community together through an upcoming golf fundraiser supporting programs and practical resources for people in Vanier and Overbrook.
The event is planned for:
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Pine View Golf Course, Ottawa
9:00 a.m. registration
10:30 a.m. shotgun start
Individual golfer: $150
Foursome: $550
Optional tournament care package: $50
Registration link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/onplc-golf-tournament
Funds raised will help support community initiatives and practical resources connected with the clinic’s work.
Community support can take different forms. Some people may choose to golf. Local organizations may decide to sponsor the event. Others may simply help the clinic reach more people by sharing information about the fundraiser.
MindSpa is pleased to help spread the word and support an organization working to strengthen access to health care in Ottawa.
Building Stronger Connections Across Ottawa Health Care
For MindSpa, conversations like this are a reminder that mental health care does not exist separately from the rest of someone’s life.
Primary care, mental health services, pharmacies, community organizations, families, and other supports can each play a different role.
Our own work extends across Ottawa through our Kanata location and Gloucester location, as well as other in-person and virtual services.
While the role of each organization is different, stronger connections between local providers can make it easier for people to understand their options and find an appropriate next step.
Learn More About OttawaNPLC and MindSpa
To learn more about the Ottawa Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, its services, eligibility, and current patient information, visit OttawaNPLC.
To explore psychotherapy, neurofeedback, assessments, and other mental health services available through MindSpa Mental Health Centre, visit our services page.
If you are unsure which MindSpa service or clinician may be appropriate for you, you can also contact the MindSpa team.
Reviewed by Tina Wilston, M.Ed., RP
Registered Psychotherapist & Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre
[View Tina’s profile