Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital is building a specialized mental health crisis zone within its emergency department to better treat patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies and reduce strain on the current system.
Montreal Road Hospital’s emergency department sees more than 50,000 visits a year, and 8 per cent of those are mental health-related, said CEO and president Dominique Giroux.
Compared to other hospitals in Ontario, the number of psychiatric patients coming to Montfort is “about double the provincial average,” Giroux told CBC Radio. All of a Day last week.
Giroux said people who need mental health care would be taken to the new zone and would be supported by a specialist mental health team.
The zone will include about six traditional therapy rooms in total and sensory therapy rooms, spaces designed to calm patients experiencing a mental health crisis.
Sensory rooms often feature relaxing elements such as music, lighting, textures and scents to reduce arousal and anxiety.
The zone will also feature a quiet waiting area for patients, a nurses’ station and security guards. Giroux said it will be a “more comfortable” space for patients and allow mental health teams to get them the care they need faster.
“we [patients] To be in a calm environment,” he said.
The hospital reports more than 50,000 emergency department visits annually, 8 percent of which are related to mental illness. The hospital is building this dedicated space to better treat these patients. (Frédéric Pépin/Radio-Canada)
Fundraising campaign underway
On Friday, the Montfort Hospital Foundation launched a fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the project.
Giroux said the foundation aims to raise the full $2 million from the community over the next 18 to 24 months.
“All funds invested in this project must be sourced locally. There will be no government funding for this endeavor,” he said.
Raman Chauhan, who has lived in Ottawa for more than 40 years, and his wife donated $50,000 in memory of their son, Sanjay, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces and later committed suicide.
“We take for granted a lot of things for which we have to be grateful,” Chauhan told reporters at a press conference on Friday.
“We support this initiative and would like to see it expanded. And the need for mental health support is huge.”
