The Emergent Mental Health Assessment Unit (EMHAU)
Photo credit: Anne-Marie Jackson / Toronto Star
Before now, mental health patients coming to our Emergency Department — often in extreme distress — could be forced to wait for days on stretchers before even being admitted and beginning their treatment. There was little to no privacy, natural light or even space to stretch their legs. Noise from the busy Emergency Department was always present, only adding to their distress.
Today, mental health patients coming to Southlake in crisis will find quiet, private rooms in the EMHAU. Natural light has proven to offer substantial benefits to recovery, so the rooms have been equipped with broad windows. Each has a private television with cable access.
In addition to a personal desk, patients now have secure places to store their belongings. For someone experiencing the onset of dementia, reminders of home close at hand can offer much-needed calm and security.
Before now, mental health patients weren’t able to use a shower as they waited to be admitted — sometimes for days. Now they have dedicated, secure facilities built for the new unit.
Consultation Rooms are bright, spacious and, most importantly, private. Patients and their care providers can engage in therapeutic discussion without being overheard. Larger interview spaces allow family to be present and actively involved, supporting their loved ones in recovery.
The new Common Room gives patients, clinicians, and family members a safe, peaceful place to come together, watch television and share meals.
A state-of-the-art nursing station gives staff clear sightlines for safety and provides an onsite medication room for ease of access when time is critical.
The New 12 Bed Adult Inpatient Unit
Today, many of the rooms in our Mental Health Unit will regularly have three patients in a space designed for two, with bathrooms shared across the entire unit. That’s changing with the planned addition of a new 12-bed unit that will enable us to care for 400 more patients each year. These artist renderings show how this new space will come to life.
Currently, two or three patients may share 185 square feet of space. With the new expansion, private rooms will offer as much as 224 square feet for a single patient. The new rooms are designed to feel like home, prioritizing a sense of safety, peace and comfort with warm earth tones and ample natural light. Each will be equipped with dimmable LED lighting controlled by the patients, cabinet storage and a small work surface, which previous rooms did not offer.
Looped corridors include a concrete-looking finish to mimic a sidewalk, and provide a walking track for patients guiding them towards common areas. The use of calming blue accent paint in the corridors helps remind patients of where their rooms are.
Warm wood flooring has been chosen for the dining room, lounge and bedrooms to help emphasize the feeling of home. Previously, the dining area offered only about 266 square feet for both dining and activities. The new space will have 683 square feet for the dining room alone, with another 234 square feet for the activity room.
Dr. Gaurav Mehta, Psychiatrist, Southlake Regional Health Centre
As a clinician, nothing is more important to me than removing barriers to care. Space, light, privacy, security: I’ve seen the difference that these seemingly small changes can make.
What we have accomplished so far is an incredible start, but there is so much work left to do. To achieve our full vision for mental health care here at Southlake, we’re raising $7.5M through the .Better Begins Today Campaign. And we need your support.
Donate today to help us build where better begins at southlake.ca/better.
