The pandemic is putting further strain on local mental health services that are already in crisis mode.
Bluewater Health Integrated Vice President of Mental Health and Addictions Services Paula Reaume-Zimmer told Sue Storr on CHOK (103.9FM/1070AM) Monday morning that for the last few months, their inpatient Mental Health Unit has been bursting at the seams.
Zimmer said all 27 acute care beds are full. She said they've opened their overflow unit and five of those six beds are occupied, as well as the seven residential withdrawal management beds. Eight of the 12 beds at Ryan's House on Exmouth Street are also occupied.
She said the number of patients in the child and adolescent unit has doubled.
"The kind of stop and starting of schools and we know that young children specifically need structure, they need routine, otherwise we are seeing kind of pent-up behavior type of challenges that families are struggling with," said Zimmer. "Adolescents need to be around friends, they need to be around their support network and when they're not, we're seeing more symptoms like depression and anxiety."
Zimmer said St. Clair Child and Youth Services and Family Counselling Centre Sarnia recently launched a new crisis line to help fill the gap, 1-833-622-1320.
She called the community resource an important tool to help youth reach out sooner and avoid having to be admitted to the hospital.
Construction is also scheduled to begin this spring on a ACCESS Open Minds Centre in downtown Sarnia, with expectations of assisting about 3,000 individuals, between 12 and 25-years-old, a year.
