Mental health emergency unit at St. Paul’s hospital amid growing problem

VANCOUVER – A new nine-bed unit for people suffering from psychiatric emergencies has been established at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.

B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake says that the new unit includes seclusion rooms and interview rooms so patients can be treated in a safe area close to the hospital’s emergency department.

Dr. Anna Nazif, the hospitals medical director of emergency psychiatry, says they have seen a 63 per cent increase in the number of patients with severe mental illnesses or addictions since 2009, and the safety upgrades in the new unit is necessary to improve care.

The unit, as well as the introduction of a new outreach team that will connect patients to community services, are part of a government promise to address what Vancouver police have described as a mental health crisis in the city.

Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu and Mayor Gregor Robertson had asked the province for help dealing with increasing violence and emergency room visits involving those with severe mental illnesses or addictions.

Chu and Robertson made five recommendations, including adding 300 long-term treatment beds, creating more outreach teams, and establishing a crisis centre.