Town hall tonight on the future of Alberta Hospital Edmonton
EDMONTON – The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees’ Save Alberta Hospital Edmonton campaign will hold a town hall meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Steinhauer-Southminster United Church at 10740 – 19 Ave.
The goal of the meeting is to stress the need to redevelop Alberta Hospital Edmonton as part of a new provincial mental health plan.
The meeting will include presentations by Alberta Hospital Edmonton psychiatrist Dr. Krista Leicht, University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing Professor Donna Wilson, Vancouver Police Sgt. Fiona Wilson-Bates (author of a 2008 report on the effect of inadequate mental health services on policing in Vancouver), and AUPE President Guy Smith.
Reporters will be able to interview the speakers at 6:30 p.m. before the meeting begins.
“We are relieved that the plan to close the majority of beds has been put on the shelf, and congratulate everyone who campaigned for Alberta Hospital Edmonton. At the same time we want to make sure everyone understands that without a government commitment to redevelop the site, the hospital’s future is still in doubt. Redevelopment of the site must be included in any new provincial mental health plan,” said Smith.
“We also oppose the plan to move the geriatric psychiatry unit at the expense of 150 badly needed long-term care spaces,” Smith added. “That’s a bad precedent – taking services away from one group of patients to serve another group – and I expect many seniors to be upset by it.”
Guests will be invited to share their personal experiences with the mental health system and concerns about the future of services at Alberta Hospital Edmonton after the speakers’ presentations.
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For more information contact:
Guy Smith, President, AUPE – 780-930-3301 or 780-265-2294 (cellular)
Mark Wells, Communications Officer, AUPE – 780-930-3406 or 780-904-0688 (cellular phone)
Speakers
Sergeant Fiona Wilson-Bates
Fiona Wilson-Bates has been a member of the Vancouver Police Department since 1999 and currently works in the Beat Enforcement Team. She was previously a Patrol officer, walked the beat in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, worked in the Communications Centre and was an investigator in the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit. She has also been a Crisis Negotiator, Field Trainer, Acting Sergeant, and undercover operator for the Vice and Drug squads. She holds a B.A. in Criminology from Simon Fraser University. In 2008, Fiona authored “Lost in Transition,” a report on the lack of capacity in the mental health system in Vancouver that was described by one respected journalist as the “most powerful report to ever come out of the VPD.” She has presented her research to audiences in Canada, Asia and Europe. She has been awarded two VPD commendations, a Communications Award from the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors, the Richard Dolman Award from the B.C. Schizophrenic Society and a Meritorious Service Award.
Dr. Krista Leicht
Dr. Leicht is a psychiatrist specializing in the care of developmentally handicapped people with complicated psychiatric, physical, behavioral and environmental issues. She works at AHE in the Rehabilitation area, as part of a multidisciplinary team called the STARS program. She has worked at AHE for over 10 years in various services, including General Adult Psychiatry, and currently does call for the General Adult Service. She is also a clinical professor with the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine, and teaches medical residents and students.
Donna Wilson, RN, PhD
Donna Wilson is a Registered Nurse and Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. She also works part-time as a casual staff nurse in a large local acute-care hospital to remain current in health care and nursing practice. Her program of research focuses on health services utilization and health policy, although primarily in relation to aging, ageism, and end-of-life care. Her research often involves large population databases and increasingly mixed-methods research to incorporate qualitative and quantitative understandings.