Youth in crisis can't wait until 2017 for mental health services

The delayed opening of a mental health unit for teens in Surrey is devastating news for youth and families in the Fraser Health region, says BCNU President Gayle Duteil.

"Youth in crisis can't wait until 2017 to receive care. They need mental health services and safe patient care today. Re-opening the Adolescent Psych Unit in Abbotsford, which currently sits empty, would provide immediate help to desperate families."

The Adolescent Psych Unit (APU) in Abbotsford was closed in 2009 and is now used for storage. It was a state of the art facility when it opened.

Since then, the number of children and youth hospitalized for mental health issues in the Fraser Health Authority has more than doubled. Last year 2,000 youth needed mental health care in the region.

"Fraser Health has repeatedly stated the new teen mental health unit in Surrey would be open in 2016," says Duteil. "Telling youth and their families who are in crisis that they'll have to wait a year and a half for a bed is not safe patient care."

Currently, teens needing urgent mental health care are often forced to wait in an overcrowded ER or in a general psych unit with adults who may have risky behaviours.

Read the past news release regarding BCNU's long term mental health strategy.