The North East LHIN will spend $4.4 million dollars on mental health in the Nipissing region.
A specialized women’s forensic psychiatry unit to be used by the entire province will be based at the North Bay Regional Health Centre.
The announcement was made at the future site of the new forensic unit on Wednesday. The hospital’s CEO, Paul Heinrich said $3.74 million dollars will be invested for eight forensic beds for women. He made the announcement with Hélène Philbin-Wilkinson at his side. She is the director of Mental Health and the Law program at North Bay’s hospital.
Philbin-Wilkinson explained that the women will be referred from ten hospitals in Ontario that deal with patients in the forensic system. They might have been declared unfit to stand trial or found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
Philbin-Wilkinson says the case of Ashley Smith-a young woman with mental health problems who died in jail-- was the impetus for creating a program designed for women in the forensic system. She says women have unique needs in that mental illness is manifested differently than men.
“The mental health system is very rigid and has been primarily set up for men who were the vast majority of the offending population. Now we are seeing more and more women with offending behaviours.
“Women tend to have higher rates of substance abuse. They focus on relationships. So we will be offering an environment centered on the traumas unique to women and build on their strengths.”
Philbin-Wilkinson says that the women the new secure unit will serve will likely have led very complicated lives.
“They will likely have had clinical challenges in the referring hospital. They present with complex mental health disorders, challenging behaviours, harming self or others, and pose a significant risk to the safety of the public.”
Philbin-Wilkinson says the expected treatment time for patients will be between 18 months and three years. The women’s forensic unit is expected to be functional by the end of 2016.
Other funding announcements will see investments in the following community providers.
Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing will receive $15,000 dollars to promote a postpartum mood disorders network.
CMHA-Nipissing will receive $70,000 dollars to build on the work of the North Bay Community Mobilization Hub which helps to deliver care to people at risk.
People for Equal Partnership in Mental Health or PEP, now with charitable status, will receive $75,000 dollars to provide support for people in Mattawa and the surrounding area.
Nipissing Mental Health Housing receives $95,000 dollars to expand their services to Mattawa and area to help 250 people. They also will be funded an additional $400,000 dollars to transition three long term individuals with brain injury into the community.
