Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff

By Tyler Marr

Supporting Mental Health

New support beds for mental health patients soon to come for North Battleford, other cities in Sask.

Jul 14, 2019 | 12:39 PM

Research shows stable housing combined with various levels of community support can lead to better outcomes for people with complex mental health and addictions issues.

That from Executive Director of Primary Health Services for South, Northwest Saskatchewan Vikki Smart on 75 new residential support beds slated for North Battleford, Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has issued a request for proposals for the project, which was a provincial budget commitment.

Twenty-five intensive beds will be built in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina, while 50 less intensive beds will be spread between North Battleford and these three cities.

“Having stable housing is a key factor in really helping people who live with difficult mental health issues and find it hard to get that footing so they are able to live in our communities and contribute and feel apart of the community,” Smart said.

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The intensive beds see 24-hour support services for those who are too well to be in an inpatient care unit or the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford (SHNB) but need assistance to ensure their recovery does not fall apart.

The less intensive beds have daytime staff help clients manage their medications and daily activities like shopping, cooking, spending money and getting to appointments, among other things.

Smart said the beds will help support patient integration into the community and will look to calm recidivism rates to the SHNB, emergency rooms or prison cells. Without supportive residential options, Smart said there can be an overuse of these less appropriate resources in the community.

“Even though we have teams in the community, the housing situation often falls apart and they find themselves homeless,” Smart said. “How can you recover when you don’t have a stable home?”

She said normal housing does not offer adequate support to help get people back on track.

The RFP is open to affiliates, private sector partners and community-based organizations and closes August 6. Smart said the timeline is short but they are optimistic they will be able to make headway in early to late fall. The SHA is encouraging partnerships with the Saskatchewan Housing Authority.

“[Many of these people] do end up in Sask. Housing,” she said. “To have that extra support there where they can go from intensive to less intensive and then to a bit more independence with the support of a community team would be a good transition.”

— with files from Keaton Brown

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr