More demand for psychiatric assessments adding to N.B. bed shortage

An increase in the number of court-ordered psychiatric assessments iscontributing to a shortage of hospital beds for patients needing the evaluations, says New Brunswick's Health Department.

Last week, the lawyer representing Stuart John Williams, 49,who faces acharge of first-degree murder, requested a 30-day psychiatric assessment for his client.

But the court in Moncton was told there aren't any beds available at the Restigouche Hospital Centre, the hospital that assesses mental health cases in the province, for three weeks.

Johanne Leblanc, a Health Department spokeswoman, said223 psychiatric assessments were ordered in New Brunswick in 2005, more than double the 108 ordered in 1998.

At a regional health board meeting last year, the Restigouche Hospital Centre outlined its concerns in a presentation. The centre said it can't keep up with the court-ordered referrals and the facility is old and inadequate, with security concerns.

Leblanc said a new facility is something the provincial government has to consider during provincial budget deliberations and that the province is addressing the problem in the meantime.

"Funding … was approved in 2006 to create 15 temporary beds to meet the demands," Leblanc said.