Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

St. Paul’s Hospital launches new services to tackle opioid, mental health crises

Injection site, addictions clinic, more treatment beds and short-stay centre among services
stpauls
Dr. Daniel Kalla, head of the emergency department at St. Paul’s Hospital, said extra beds for people suffering from mental health and addictions issues have decreased pressure on the emergency department. Photo Dan Toulgoet

Vancouver’s police chief, doctors and politicians were on hand Tuesday at St. Paul’s Hospital to launch a multi-faceted health care service—the first of its kind in Canada—to treat people living with mental health and addictions challenges.

Known as HUB, the service is built around four components—a temporary supervised injection site, an addiction clinic, a transitional care centre and a 10-bed assessment and treatment area in the emergency department. 

“You won’t be turned away, you won’t be left on your own to navigate a system that is often fragmented and confusing,” said Judy Darcy, the province’s minister of mental health and addictions, of patients who arrive at the hospital.

The new services come as the opioid crisis persists and police in Vancouver continue to respond to thousands of calls per year of people suffering from a mental health crisis.

The health care model was set up at St. Paul’s because the hospital treats the largest number of patients in B.C. with mental health and addictions issues. That population makes nearly 11,000 visits each year to the hospital.

Police Chief Adam Palmer noted that in 2017 his officers responded to 270,000 calls for service in the city, with about 17 per cent of those related to a person in a mental health crisis.

Palmer said his officers have had to wait an average of one hour and 15 minutes with a patient at hospital before the person is assessed by an emergency physician.

He expects the wait times to decrease because of the new services.

“In my 30-plus years in the Vancouver Police Department, I have witnessed the impact of mental health issues and addiction when the right systems are not in place,” the chief said. “So now that we’re getting on the right track, this will make a huge difference in our communities.”

The transitional care centre, which allows for short stays for patients after treatment, was built in part with an anonymous $750,000 donation to the Vancouver Police Foundation.

The donor wanted the money used to help alleviate the mental health and addictions crises in the city. The VPD contacted St. Paul’s Hospital about the idea of a transitional care centre, which is staffed with people to help patients access housing, social assistance and other needs.

Dr. Daniel Kalla, head of the hospital’s emergency department, said the increase in beds and the continuum of care has decreased pressure on the emergency department, although he acknowledged more beds are needed.

“[The extra beds] create more capacity throughout the hospital and provide a buffer we didn’t have before and one that is essential in times of surge,” said Kalla, noting the 10 beds represent about 15 per cent of acute care space. “That can make a massive difference.”

Added Kalla: “Will it solve our problem? No, because we never have a ‘no vacancy’ sign in the emergency department. We will always get more patients than we can handle.”

Dalton Burgess, a former patient of the Rapid Access Addiction Clinic at the hospital, is now a peer tutor. Burgess said accessing the clinic put him in the hands of staff who helped him get on the methadone program to address his addiction issues.

“The [clinic] truly met where I was at,” he said, noting the experience altered his life. “Staff never judged me or put conditions on my recovery.”

mhowell@vancourier.com

@Howellings