After three decades of neglect, the Shepody Healing Centre is being given a new lease on life, according to federal Cabinet Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
Correctional Service Canada launched a study Friday to create a Health Centre of Excellence at the Shepody Healing Centre in Dorchester.
Psychiatrist Dr. Louis Theriault, says the current facility is out of date, and unsafe for patients and staff.
“We have one interview room, we don’t have any common rooms, they have to share a very tiny common space,” says Dr. Theriault. “We have two rooms to isolate patients who would be extremely agitated but is so small that if they’re very agitated it does upset the whole unit.”
He goes on to say there are security issues as well, with the corridor between the prison and the unit narrow and unsafe.
“We don’t have the proper space, we have to sometimes do interviews at the corner of a corridor, other patients can hear, it’s really, really not ideal, it’s not safe, and patients, who are vulnerable at times don’t feel safe.”
LeBlanc said the working group is expected to deliver an interim report this October, and he hopes they will be able to begin construction in 2019.
He adds the staff working not only at the Shepody Healing Centre at Dorchester, but at all similar units across the country deserve the best possible facilities the government can provide for them so they can do their highly challenging jobs.
“So there’s a direct line between a thoughtful investment, the safety of communities, and treatment for some of the most mentally ill and the most difficult cases to treat in Canadian society,” says LeBlanc.
LeBlanc says the working group will determine whether the existing facility can be renovated, or upgraded, or if an entirely new state of the art building will be required.
He says the financial cost of each different proposal will be displayed in the final report, and money will certainly be a factor in which plan is chosen.
LeBlanc says Dorchester Penitentiary is the second oldest prison in Canada, at 140 years old, and when they build this new mental health unit, they want to build it to last.
He adds the working group includes the Executive Director of the Shepody Healing Centre, Julie Bédard, other senior management, and health experts.
