Questions For Further Discussion:

db. To what extent should the current Riverview/Yalleyview acute care bed capacity be decentralized to facilities such as local general hospitals, residential care facilities, or regtonal continuing psychiatric care hospitals? ,

Given that resources are limited, in what ways can existing and reallocated acute care bed capacity be optimizally utilizea to meet patient care needs? ;

3. CONTINUING PSYCHIATRIC CARE

Problems:

« difficulty in gaining timely access to and exit from central psychiatric hospitals for areas other than the Lower Mainland. ;

- difficulty in attracting sufficient numbers of highly qualified professional staff, especially outside the more urban areas of the Province, for continuing psychiatric care facility programs.

- lack of a strong focal point for mental health research and training.

Consensus:

3.17 The major provincial capacity for continuing psychiatric hospital care for adults and the elderly should be redevelopea in the Lower ; _Mainland, These facility programs should be associated with university professional programs, to provide a focus for the Province for mental health research, training, specialized treatment, and out-reach consultation.

The focus of this central capacity would be on the provision of high quality continuing psychiatric care for the populous Lower Mainland region, but referrals would also be accepted from remote. areas of the Province with transportation links to Yancouver.

Some continuing psychiatric care should be decentralized for the Vancouver Island, and Okanagan/Kootenay/Central Interior regions, and could well be attached to general hospitals in these areas. Service to the North, however, should continue to be provided through the Lower Mainiand facility until the pressing problem of professional manpower availability in the North has been resolved.

All continuing psychiatric care facilities should be of sufficient “critical mass" to provide programs, and attract professional staff of

high quality.

There should be a greater emphasis placed on active rehabilitation and treatment, but continued provision of “honourable asylum" care for

those who require it as well.

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