Aberdeen Hospital mental health unit closure 'a dire issue,' says family

Four-and-a-half months after the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow closed its mental health unit, at least one woman is concerned her loved one will reach a crisis point with nowhere safe to go for help.

Amanda Brooks's father, Bobby, has bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety. He had been in and out of the Aberdeen mental-health unit over the last five years.

"Christmas is generally a particularly difficult time for dad, so right now he's not doing fantastic but he's making it through," Brooks told CBC Halifax's Information Morning.

Since the unit's closure in August, Brooks's father has avoided treatment because it means he will be sent out of the region. Following August's closure, he was referred to the hospital in Yarmouth, where beds were available.

"My dad would not travel that way," she said. 

Brooks suggests her father needs to be close to his support system in Pictou County.

'We've certainly learned a lot'

The Pictou County mental health unit closed in the summer due to a staffing shortage. Health officials hoped to have it back in operation by November. 

"Initially we projected a temporary three-month closure," said Dr. Theresa Vienneau, director of mental health for the Nova Scotia Health Authority's northern zone.

"We've been working very hard to ensure that we provide the best possible care under the challenging circumstances and we've certainly learned a lot over the past four and a half months."

A new psychiatrist was recently hired in New Glasgow, but Vienneau says it's going to take more to reopen the unit.
 
"We had been in a position where we were recruiting both psychiatrists and nursing staff prior to the closure and our efforts continue in that area," she said.

'We need more units'

In the meantime, resources have been shifted to the Aberdeen's emergency room. Nursing staff are part of a crisis response team that helps determine whether patients can be helped locally. 

"It's created an opportunity for us to look at how we can deliver better care for the citizens of Pictou County," said Vienneau.

Brooks disagrees that care has been enhanced.

"I think that they just need to keep in mind that this is a dire issue," she said. 

"If somebody in government who makes these decisions has a family member that has a mental health issue or has been told stories of people that have mental health issues, they would realize how significant this issue is and that we don't need fewer units.

"We need more units. Right now the units that are across Nova Scotia can't even handle the amount of people that they have coming in."