New one-stop-shop for ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members and their families opens in Trenton

The latest Joint Personnel Support Unit (JPSU) run Integrated Personnel Support Centre (IPSC) was officially opened by the Minister of National Defence at CFB Trenton on Aug. 29.

The facility is expected to serve as a one-stop-shop for ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and their families to transition to civilian life or return to duty along with veterans and families of deceased members.

“For some of our members, the transition back to civilian life is complicated because of injuries or illness we owe it to our service members to do everything we can to ease this burden. we must ensure we have the resources in place to support them,” stated Minister Harjit Sajjan at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The IPSC will provide a return to duty coordination, outreach, and advocacy services and will house representatives from Veterans Affairs Canada, CAF Nurse Case Managers, and Family Liaison Officers.

“We hope that by housing service partners under one roof the new building will serve clients more efficiently and effectively going forward,” added Sajjan.

The IPSC facility in Trenton is the latest of 24 IPCS across Canada, many of which are being renovated or upgraded in hopes of providing better support to military members and their families.

“We ask a lot of our men and women in uniform and their families. We ask them to defend our country, serve long periods away from home and if necessary we ask them to put there lives on the line for us. So we owe it to them to provide them the necessary care and support they need during and after their time of service,” said Sajjan.

The cost of CFB Trenton’s IPSC is $2.4 million and is a one storey 450m² barrier-free facility that contains offices, interview rooms, lunchroom, reception, and lobby. Construction of the centre started in April 2015. The facility is expected to officially start serving members of the CAF in a month after final touches are made.