A 24/7 drug abuse, mental health treatment centre opens at VGH

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s a first in Canada and the hope is it will help unclog the emergency room at one of Vancouver’s busiest hospitals.

A new facility at Vancouver General Hospital aims to streamline care for people with mental health and drug problems and the goal is the Access and Assessment Centre will take pressure off emergency departments.

Dr. Vijay Seethapathy says after two weeks, he’s already received excellent feedback about the new space. “They are able to come to one location and just call one number and they are able to walk in and access the service rather than going to a different process like what they used to do before.”

This new centre is expected to keep more than 4,000 people out of the ER and into specialized care 24-hours a day, seven days a week. “It’s a pretty innovative design. I’m proud to say that it’s the first time in Canada that this is being done.”

Other services include family referrals and in-depth screening to recommend the best next step for patients. “We have access for the ambulance crews to bring in clients and also the Vancouver Police can bring in clients to the centre too,” he adds.

He says they’re anticipating roughly 50 referrals a day.

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