North Bay Regional Health Centre Opens Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit Providing Services Close to Home

North Bay Regional Health Centre Opens Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit Providing Services Close to Home

[North Bay, ON] The North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) and the NBRHC Foundation hosted a grand opening today of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit at its 50 College Drive location. The new six-bed unit includes four beds relocated from Sudbury as part of the decentralization of the 12-bed Regional Children’s Psychiatric Centre allowing children to remain close to home.

“Community support for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit initiative is an important component in making the unit the best possible environment for patients to receive care,” says Tammy Morison, President & CEO, NBRHC Foundation. “Today we are recognizing and thanking donors who have made leadership gifts to this initiative.” This project costs $600,000.

“The reason we are re-locating the program from our Kirkwood site is simple to provide the program as close to home as possible for our patients and families during this stressful time of hospitalization,” says Tiz Silveri, VP of Clinical Services. “We need to provide accessible services to children and their families as close to home as possible.”

A review of the Regional Children’s Psychiatric Centre delivered from the Kirkwood site in Sudbury was completed with a recommendation to divest the services to four communities: North Bay (four beds), Timmins (two beds), Sault Ste Marie (two beds) and Sudbury (four beds). Children up to the age of 18 who need this type of specialized mental health care will be able to remain close to home for their recovery.

“This new model of service will expand the mental health care children and their families receive by bringing together the expertise, skills and processes of multiple local service providers,” says Garry Fay, Director, Addictions and Mental Health at NBRHC. “By doing so, children and families of the Nipissing, Temiskaming, Parry Sound and Muskoka will receive better acute, long term and follow-up care.”

A special donation was presented at the grand opening. “I am making a gift of $45.00 – 50% of my profits from my classes Young Entrepreneur Program. My classmates and I had to donate 10% to a cause in the community, and I wanted to help kids,” said Nine year old Liam Dreany.

“The six-bed children’s mental health unit including 2 acute and 4 long term now located in North Bay focuses on being patient centered, family valued and community integrated,” says Fay.

Two acute care beds existed in North Bay as part of the Women and Children’s Care Centre, they are now part of the six-bed Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit serving patients and families in Nipissing, Temiskaming, Parry Sound and Muskoka districts.

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Photo: Liam Dreany, grade 5 student at St. Theresa School in Callander and his teacher, Charlene Thomson, place his donation leaf on the ‘tree of hope and recovery’.

Donors who were recognized at the grand opening:

Special Donations:

• Liam Dreany
  50% of the profits from his classes Young Entrepreneurs Program
• Kelly Schroeder
  Comfort Quilts for CAMHU patients

Leadership Donors:

• J.P. Bickell Foundation
  $50,000 Gift
• Comsatec Inc.
  $25,000 Pledge
• 2013 Osprey Links Bell Charity Golf Gala
  $22,000 Gift
• McDonald’s North Bay & Sturgeon Falls and the Haines Family
  $25,000 pledge
• North Bay Hydro Social Club
  $10,000 Gift
• Rexall Foundation
  $10,000 Gift
• Bob & Sharron Cunningham
  $10,000 Pledge
• Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Provincial Command Branches
  $7,100 Gift