Aberdeen hospital closing mental health unit

The Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow will soon be closing the doors on an eight-bed mental health unit.

The short stay inpatient unit treatspatients dealing with a short-term mental health crisis.

• Leo Glavine rejects call for mental health system inquiry

Due to a staffing shortage, as of August 3, those services will no longer be provided.

Eileen MacIssac with the Nova Scotia Health Authority says a mental health patient who arrives at the hospital's emergency department will be assessed by the crisis team. Then, it will be determined what kind of care the patient requires.

"It may not be patient care, it may be community care or through another way," she said. "So the determination will be made as to the best care for the patients and then we will look at what can be provided, whether it's in the community orif it's in an inpatient way, what unit either within the Northern zone or in the province that the patient can be admitted."

PictouCounty's Progressive ConservativeMLAsreleased a statement Friday to criticize the Liberal governmentfor its rolein theclosure.

"These men and women are in crisis and the Liberals kick the problem down the road," says MLA Tim Houston. "This decision is shortsighted, incompetent and putting lives at risk."

MLA Karla MacFarlanesaid their party could not let the beds go without a fight.

NDP leader Maureen MacDonaldreleased a statement Sunday saying theentire health care system has suffered under the McNeil government and the minister of health owes Nova Scotians an explanation for why he has allowed the situation to reach this point.

"It's no more excusable to shut down a mental health unit for a number of months than it is to shut down a cardiac care unit. Mental health care is not optional for people suffering with a mental illness," she said.

MacIsaac says the province is currently seeking additional psychiatric staff, but the hospital doesn'tknow when the unit may be able to reopen.