Health authority confirms Waterford Hospital will close eventually, but timeline still uncertain
NLHS CEO Pat Parfrey says remaining services will move to new building
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services acknowledged on Monday that the Waterford Hospital will eventually shut.
The building was constructed in 1855, and, until this year, had been the primary location of mental health services in Newfoundland and Labrador ever since.
Thousands of patients have been in and out of the hospital during that time, and the facility leads a complex legacy — with many claiming the structure itself is in a state of disrepair.
But on Monday, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services CEO Pat Parfrey told reporters the building will close, although there's no set date for that just yet.
The closure will happen once the hospital's remaining services find a new home.
The psychiatric assessment unit moved to the new Mental Health and Addictions Centre at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's in April. But the Waterford Hospital still offers blood collection and houses offices.
A plan is in the works to build a downtown health and wellbeing centre on the site of the former Grace Hospital, Parfrey said.
That building — which is yet to be built — is expected to house outpatient services for psychiatry, a detox centre and will have "the capacity to be able to deal with issues that arise from addictions."
The health authority is also looking into the idea of building an urgent care centre downtown, said Parfrey.
In the meantime, NLHS is looking to lease a space for different community-based teams.
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With files from Mark Quinn