PCs, Greens and People's Alliance open to idea of moving mental health centre

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Problems with mental health care in the province have been brought to the forefront with New Brunswick ombud Charles Murray's report detailing patient mistreatment and inadequate care at the Restigouche Hospital Centre, but the suggested solution of moving the treatment centre isn't sitting well with one MLA.

Gilles LePage, Liberal MLA for Restigouche West, said he feels there are still questions that must be answered by either Vitalité Health Network or Weber's report before solutions are discussed.

"I think that we are jumping the gun in going after all the recommendations that are in [Murray's report] while there are still studies and some answers that will be given," LePage said. 

New Brunswick's health minister has since put the opening of the new youth mental health facility right next to the Restigouche centre on hold, and the provincial government has hired George Weber, a mental health care consultant, to review the facility and Murray's report.

The PCs, Greens and People's Alliance are open to the idea of moving the centre if Weber's report recommends it.

LePage said it only seems logical to him to keep specialized treatment resources concentrated to one area, citing Saint John as a centre for heart specialists and Moncton for cancer treatments as examples.

Progressive Conservative Education Minister Dominic Cardy and the two other MLAs on the panel, David Coon for the Greens and Rick DeSaulniers for the People's Alliance, said population needs to be taken into account to ensure adequate staffing levels, a problem the report highlights as severe in the Campbellton centre.

"I don't think it's going to sound very credible when you argue that you are centralizing services if you're talking about centralizing them in Campbellton, and that's no disrespect to Campbellton," Cardy said.

DeSaulniers said staff will not be drawn to a centre that lacks expertise.

"If you build it they will come, well they didn't come and they are not going to come," he said.

LePage said there is a shortage of mental health expertise across the country, and that the problem is not just isolated to Campbellton or New Brunswick.

Still, Cardy pointed out the decision to put the mental health facility in Campbellton in the first place was done against the advice of experts who said Moncton would be a better location with broader resources.

He said immigration data shows Moncton is a growing community, and it is easier to attract people to larger centres, as well as the fact that Moncton is home to NGOs that could partner with Vitalité to enhance patient services.

Coon said he sees two issues at play — problems with mental health services, and the need for economic development in northern regions of the province.

"People of course desperately want to hold onto those [locations] because that's one of the only things going on in their community," Coon said.

"[But] we need to address the patients, what's best for them."

DeSaulniers said even if the mental health treatment centre is moved, the existing facilities in Campbellton could be repurposed.

All agreed the move to have Weber review the facility and the report was a good one.