It was a monumental day for the City of North Battleford as construction got underway for the new Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford psychiatric facility. The new mental health hospital will be the first of its kind.
“We want to be able to keep the public safe by providing a secure environment but also a therapeutic environment, so that’s why it’s significant, it has never happened in the province,” said Christine Tell, Saskatchewan corrections and policing minister.
Maintaining good health of offenders at the future facility is essential. The new complex will house 32 more beds compared to the 104-year-old hospital currently in use in the city.
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For Saskatchewan Health Minister Dustin Duncan, it’s a significant improvement for people dealing with mental health issues.
“It means, additional beds in the facility are going to be replacing the existing 100-year-old facility, so from that standpoint it means that some of our patients will see timely access,” said Duncan.
There are around 300 offenders in adult facilities who deal with mental health issues in the province.
A total of $407 million will be invested into the project over a 33-year period.
Construction is expected to be complete by spring 2018.
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