Eastern Health says in an effort to enhance services provided to mental health patients, all psychiatric emergency services will be centralized at the Waterford Hospital site, beginning today.
Previously, psychiatric emergency services were offered at both the Waterford Hospital and the Health Sciences sites. However, two thirds of the patients came to the Waterford Hospital to be seen.
"Since the psychiatric assessment unit opened at the Waterford in 2004, we have seen a steady increase in the number of patients to that service and a decrease in patients going to the Health Sciences Centre for psychiatric reasons," said Dr. Sarah Noble, division head for emergency psychiatry.
"By centralizing our psychiatric emergency services we will be better able to serve our patients with a specialized team of health professionals which include psychiatric mental health nurses, psychiatric licensed practical nurses, a social worker, and a general practitioner."
For the first time Eastern Health has a dedicated psychiatrist for emergency services, and a psychiatric resident will now be based at the Waterford Hospital site.
Eastern Health encourages the public to use the Waterford for emergency psychiatric visits, but says a psychiatric nurse will still be on staff at the Health Sciences Centre emergency.
Eastern Health centralizes psychiatric emergency services
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Published on
November 5, 2009
- Published on June 30, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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