Six withdrawal management (or inpatient detox) beds will be relocated from their current home at a King Street West facility to the North Bay Regional Hospital Centre's (NBRHC) Acute Inpatient Psychiatry Unit (AIPU) on College Drive.
Kim McElroy, the NBRHC's communications manager, confirmed the looming loss of employment but indicated that the number of those who will be out of work is still to be determined.
"Unfortunately this move will result in the elimination of the Addiction Worker role, which means early exit and early retirement letters have been sent to affected staff. Until we receive responses to these letters we don't know the final impact on total staffing numbers," explained McElroy in an email.
There have been concerns expressed by community partners that this move could place additional obstacles in front of those using the services, especially those living in the downtown core. The closure of 24 needle exchange sites and fears of stricter admission standards for the detox at the psychiatric unit site could create service gaps.
Responded McElroy, "With this relocation of beds, the same admission standards will be in place and patients will have an [assigned physician]. We anticipate our patient population will remain the same. This relocation of beds allows us to improve access and quality of care by moving away from a solely social detox model to a model that includes some medical oversight."
Around-the-clock crisis beds will remain available at the King Street site, as will other existing programs, including ACTT (Assertive Community Treatment Team) and the mental health services.
The King Street site is run under the NBRHC's banner. The move of these beds to the main campus is part of a budget-balancing move in the form of the elimination of positions. Facing a $5 million shortfall, reports released in early 2017 from hospital management showed that up to 40 jobs would need to be cut. Nearly 400 hospital positions have been cut in the past five years.
