Eating disorder unit coming to Health Sciences in St. John's

A new in-patient unit for people with eating disordersis being built at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's, government announced Thursday.

We heard very loud and clear from the eating disorder society that there was a need for this.- Health Minister John Haggie

The four-bed intensive care facility will be housed in the existing psychiatric area of the hospital.

The $700,000 facility is part of the Newfoundland and Labradorgovernment's Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan.

There were already two beds available at Health Sciences to treat people with eating disorders, but Health Minister John Haggie said more dedicated resources were needed.

"I think we heard very loud and clear from the eating disorder society that there was a need for this," he said.

A tender for the construction project will be out this month, and will require the contractor to accommodate specialized beds and therapeutic space for families.

Haggie says the new clinic will save money and, more importantly, provide a better quality of care for people who need treatment..

"We send out of the province anywhere from four to six people a year for this kind of treatment, but by having this unit in the province as a resource we're hoping that we can get people at an earlier stage," Haggie said.

"We would be able to manage them and reduce the demand for sending people out, as well as deal with those who would otherwise have got sent out."

New staff

A support team will also need to be hired to run the new unit, which will require people from various disciplines to provide care from the outpatient levelthrough to in-patient and follow-up care.

Psychiatric nurses, a psychologist, a dietitian and a social worker will all be hired and trained, and the province said recruitment will beginimmediately.

Haggie said the unit will open once those jobs are filled, staff is trained and the renovations are complete. But he couldn't guarantee it would be open before the end of the year.

"As soon as we feel we have a critical mass of staff and the unit's done, we'll open it up."