Questions remain following reveal of new mental health and addictions centre, advocates say

Two mental health advocates in Newfoundland and Labrador say the province's new mental health and addictions centre is a great step forward for mental health care, but still have questions about access to care in the new space.

Kristi Allan, who has called on the province weekly for more than 200 weeks to implement better mental health care, said Friday that the replacement of the Waterford Hospital — which opened in 1855 — is a long time coming. She told CBC News a modern facility is a positive leap forward, especially since she sees the Waterford as "really hard to get better in."

The new facility, expected to open this spring, will house 102 care beds and a 60-bed hostel. However, Allan said, that's less care beds than are available at the Waterford, which causes great concern over the access people have to care.

"I'm a little worried about that being adequate," Allan said.

"My question is are they going to be turned away? I think a lot of people get really stressed that they're going to go and ask for help, and get turned away. I recently went with someone who went to ask for help, they were sent home. Are people going to feel like if they go to this new facility, that there's room for them if they need help?"

Allan said she hopes having less beds in the facility is the result of promises made by the province to increase mental health supports in communities. She has been part of the consultation process for a walk-in care centre in St. John's, she said, and hopes it can open at the same time as the new facility to meet the needs of people in crisis.

If it doesn't, she said, it will be a step in the wrong direction.

Chandra Kavanagh, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association in Newfoundland and Labrador, praised the facility for its thoughtful and modern design.

"I think that when people visit and get care in spaces like this, it does do some meaningful work to impact the stigma that we can sometimes experience when it comes to mental health and addictions," Kavanagh said.

"Simply coming to a beautiful space full of natural light, with thought provoking artwork, is a very different experience than going to, you know, an older building that may not have been well kept."

But while the modern facility will house a wide variety of services for mental health care, Kavanagh said, it won't address problems the health-care system faces, like human resource challenges and the recruitment and retention of health professionals. However, she said, a brand new facility can attract professionals.

She too hopes less beds at the facility means more supports in community care, saying she sees the mental health and addictions facility as a transitory place that people can move on from — unlike the Waterford in some cases, where some patients seeking long-term care were living.

"There are more opportunities to work within communities and to have beds in communities. So I don't think it represents a reduction in services," she said. "That being said, I think that there is always more opportunity and more support needed for mental health concerns and addictions issues, especially as we see the rise in mental health concerns and addictions issues."

N.L. Health Services said at the facility's unveiling that people living at the Waterford would be moved into the community with access to wraparound supports, but Allan said she feels that could be a huge change for some patients that could impact them further.

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