A four bed unit at Moncton Hospital for children and youth struggling with mental illness will be shut down for several weeks due to staffing shortages, according to officials.
But the shutdown of the Child and Youth Wellness Centre, which took place on Monday, won’t affect patient care, said Dr. Dinesh Bhalla, head of psychiatric care at the hospital.
“We are concerned as everyone else is concerned. But I don’t want to create a panic and no child or adolescent or youth that comes to our emerge will be sent home when they are deemed to need admission, I can assure you of that,” said Bhalla.
READ MORE: Mother of suicide victim calling for improved wait times for mental health support in N.B.
Bhalla said youth will be treated in the hospital’s six-bed provincial child and adolescent unit, which is rarely at capacity, down the hall from the centre.
He said the local youth wellness centre will be back up and running in a few weeks once more nursing staff is hired.
“They are being hired as we speak and it should be very shortly that we have it up and running,” Bhalla said.
Bhalla said more help is also on the way this fall for youth suffering from mental illness.
As part of the province’s strategy to improve youth mental health services, Bhalla said 55 new youth mental health support workers are being hired across the Horizon Health Network, 16 of which will be working in Moncton this coming fall at the hospital. Bhalla said they will also work closely with families, teachers and education psychologists in school zones.
He also said the goal is to be more proactive in youth mental health support so that kids don’t reach that crisis level.
READ MORE: New report identifies need for addictions, mental health support in N.B.
Moncton mother Kerri Matthews knows crisis and loss. Her 19-year-old son Kinsgley took his own life last June while he was on a waiting list to get mental health counselling.
“I was worried we were going to run out of time before he got help and that is exactly what happened,” Matthews said.
She said that on Friday she got a letter from Mental Health Services saying her youngest son, who has been struggling with severe anxiety since the death of his brother and desperately needs mental health support.
“We are on a waiting list,” she said, adding that her level of frustration is beyond words. “People feel defeated before help ever gets to them.”
Bhalla said parents can take comfort in knowing additional support staff will be in place this September.
“I fully empathize with the mother and I have a lot of sympathy for the family who lose their loved ones to such a tragedy,” he said. “We will definitely have services provided much earlier then they have been.”
READ MORE: Moncton family calls for crisis centre after waiting hours in hospital
Where to get help
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.
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