September 14, 2006

SELKIRK—Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald participated in a ground-breaking ceremony here today to mark the beginning of construction of an estimated $23-million redevelopment of the Selkirk Mental Health Centre.

“This project has been a priority of this government,” said Oswald. “Once completed, this facility will offer patients an atmosphere of increased privacy, comfort and dignity while providing health-care professionals with improved working conditions.”

The first phase of construction includes site grading, excavation and foundation piling. The contractor for the project is Bockstael Construction.

Tenders for the balance of the project will be called at the end of September with work expected to start in October. It is anticipated construction will be complete in late spring 2008 with occupancy expected for June of that year.

When completed, the redeveloped Selkirk Mental Health Centre will provide:

• one ground-level building with a 30-bed acquired brain injury unit consisting of three units of 10 beds and a 75-bed geriatric mental-health unit consisting of five units of 15 beds;

• a living room, quiet lounge and kitchen area, and access to an outdoor courtyard for each unit;

• space for rehabilitation therapy that will include occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech language therapy;

• multi-denominational and Aboriginal spiritual space; and

• a new central kitchen.

The redeveloped centre will provide program services that will include:

• a new acquired brain injury in-patient unit that will provide active, long-term rehabilitation services to individuals with an acquired brain injury;

• a geriatric mental-health program that will provide specialized services to individuals aged 65 and older who are experiencing persistent psychiatric illness, dementia or progressive cognitive impairment;

• a psychosocial rehabilitation program that will look at new ways of helping individuals with severe and persistent mental illness return to the community sooner; and

• an expansion of information and communications technology to assist with the assessment and rehabilitation of individuals.

The Selkirk Mental Health Centre provides long-term mental-health and acquired brain injury in-patient treatment and rehabilitation services to residents of Manitoba whose treatment and rehabilitation needs cannot be met by other services in the province.

The redevelopment of the Selkirk Mental Health Centre is one of three major health-sector projects the government identified as priorities. The others are the Brandon Regional Health Centre which is complete and the Health Sciences Centre which is almost complete.

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