Surrey to get urgent mental health care centre in 2019

Surrey Memorial Hospital will soon house a mental health and addictions centre that will make it easierto get psychiatric treatment and medications including Suboxone and methadone, the Fraser Health Authority announced Wednesday.

The move was made as the province continues to grapple with its ongoing opioid epidemic, which claimed over 1,400 lives in B.C.in2017. There were 148 fatal overdoses in Surrey last year.

"We absolutely feel the urgency to address the opioid crisis," said Anson Koo, the chief psychiatrist for the Fraser Health Authority. "The demand for health and mental health services is [far outpacing] the percentage growth in Surrey."

The facility is expected to open in 2019 and will offer mental health assessments 18 hours per day, seven days a week.

It will provide care to patients in Surrey and North Delta.

Long wait times

Koo says demand for mental health services in the city has createdlong wait times.

Localtreatment centres receive over 700 referrals every month, and many people in need of care wait weeks before they areassessed by a psychiatrist.

"Once our centre opens people will be able to be seen the same day and quickly," he said. "That means no more waiting in the emergency department for hours, people can walk in, [and] people can be referred by their family doctors."

Spring 2019

The health authority expects it will take a year before the hub opens its doors, citing significant renovations on the Surrey Memorial campus and the hiring of additional staff, including psychiatrists, nursesand social workers.

Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner admits the need for the facility is long overdue following another tragic year in B.C.

"No matter how much we put into emergency care at Surrey Memorial, the lineups and the wait for those that have mental health issues all of that takes a real toll on the emergency care centre."

"[The new hub] will go a long way to not only cut wait times in the emergency [department], but also give better care for those that require that specialization."

With files from CBC's Jesse Johnston