Construction is slated to begin in spring 2021 on a new six-bed mental-health unit at the Labrador Health Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The $5.1-million contract to build the unit was recently awarded to Moss Development Corp, a Mount Pearl-based company. According to a news release from the provincial government, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure anticipates construction being completed in 2022.
Derrick Bragg, minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, was in Happy Valley-Goose Goose Bay for a sod-turning ceremony for the facility on Tuesday.
“The construction of this new extension at the Labrador Health Centre will lead to residents receiving care in a modern mental-health unit,” Bragg said. “This project and others in our multiyear infrastructure plan are providing construction jobs for tradespeople in our province, which is also helping the economy in these communities.”
Lisa Dempster, minister responsible for Labrador Affairs, and Lake Melville MHA Perry Trimper also took part in the ceremony.
Dempster said she is pleased recommendations arising from the All-Party Committee on Mental Health and Addictions, and the subsequent Towards Recovery: The Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador are being implemented.
“I was proud to be a member of the all-party committee and we heard clearly the views and advocacy in Labrador, which included establishing dedicated beds in Labrador that were inclusive and culturally appropriate for all Labradorians,” she said.
The release said the new unit will include services that are inclusive and culturally appropriate for all residents and the single story, 626-square-metre structure will provide private bedrooms for patients receiving professional mental-health care and will include a dining room, lounge space and a recreational area.
The extension will also include a group therapy room, which can also be used for Indigenous ceremonies.
Moss Development estimates between 25 and 50 people from the province will be employed on the construction site, depending on the type of work required.
“In addition to the physical and professional support that this infrastructure will provide, having this facility here will provide proximity and thereby, emotional support, from family and friends across Labrador,” Trimper said.
