Deep cuts to the North Shore's community mental health budget being considered by Vancouver Coastal Health would have a significant impact both on the mentally ill and the wider community, a group of doctors has warned.
In a letter to the North Shore News, nine psychiatric doctors said they were shocked to learn recently about a possible cut of about $500,000 from the North Shore's community mental health budget.
"This is a significant portion of our budget and will result in staff layoffs and fewer services to (patients)," the doctors wrote in their letter.
They also warned that cuts to community mental health could result in patients staying longer in Lions Gate Hospital or clogging the hospital's emergency department.
Dr. Paul Termansen, clinical director of adult community mental health services on the North Shore, and one of the signatories of the letter, said although doctors haven't been given specifics, they are very concerned about the amount that could be chopped from the budget and what the focus of the cuts would be.
"If we have to cut, it really needs to be done in very close consultation with us and not have some upstairs bureaucrat make the decision about who should go and who shouldn't," said Termansen.
Termansen said a cut of $500,000 could mean layoffs for staff like community psychiatric nurses.
"I'm opposed to anybody going at this stage," he said.
Termansen said doctors were told around four months ago about the possible funding cuts when next year's fiscal budget was discussed.
Dr. Lance Patrick, head of the department of psychiatry at Lions Gate Hospital, said funding cuts are being reviewed in every health department, not just community mental health.
"The speculation of the $500,000 was an estimate on my part on how much the budget might well be affected given the pressures that we're facing and how they are continuing into the next year," said Patrick.
Patrick added health authorities are required to balance their budgets, and that affects all areas of care.
Anna Marie D'Angelo, spokeswoman for Vancouver Coastal Health, said mental health and addiction services is an important priority on the North Shore.
She said the health authority has no current plans to reduce services.
"Any discussion about next year's budget allocations is premature and pure speculation at this point," said D'Angelo. "We are continuing to review how we are investing available resources, to ensure the finite dollars we have invested in health services are producing the maximum benefits to the communities and patients we serve, including on the North Shore."
Patrick said the current budget for all mental health and addiction services on the North Shore, including in-patient and outpatient, is around $18 million annually. Any potential cuts may not necessarily come from the community mental health budget, he said.
Next year, mental health services on the North Shore are moving to the HOpe Centre, a new $62 million dollar psychiatric facility supported largely by private donations.
The HOpe Centre will replace the aging 80-yearold psychiatric unit at Lions Gate Hospital that has been the subject of intense criticism.
While welcoming the move, Termansen said doctors are concerned that it could also spell extra pressure not to cut the inpatient funding for mental health - leaving the cuts to fall on the outpatient programs.
Doctors who signed the letter are urging the health authority not to cut any of the mental health funding.
"I'm suggesting that they shouldn't be cutting back on mental health services period, particularly at this time," said Termansen.
