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Hamilton health centre opens |
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Written by Caitlin Badger, The Catholic Register
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Thursday, 26 July 2007 |
 The Good Shepherd Centres of Hamilton has officially opened the doors to its latest initiative: emergency housing for people suffering from mental-health crises.
The Barrett Centre for Crisis Care and Support, located on Emerald Street in Hamilton, aims to provide short-term housing for men and women experiencing mental health crises but who do not need hospitalization. It was officially opened by Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman July 9.
The idea for the Barrett Centre came about at least five years ago, said Alan Whittle, community relations representative of the Good Shepherd Centres of Hamilton.
“A number of people who work in mental health services, including consumer survivors, identified the need for a program to help people to live in the community without having to go to hospital whenever they are in crisis,” said Whittle.
The Barrett Centre has joined forces with the Shelter Health Network, a group of physicians and nurses who work in various settings to provide health care to homeless and under-housed individuals who might not have access to family physicians. “The physicians and nurses who are able to will come (to the Barrett Centre) and meet with residents. This provides them with support they might not otherwise get,” said Whittle.
The Barrett Centre is fully funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The funding has allowed the centre to hire a staff of skilled crisis workers who are available around the clock to provide services and support to residents. The idea for the centre is to provide a safe haven for individuals in crisis while giving them the counselling and support they need to return home as quickly as possible, said Whittle.
Residents tend to stay an average of four days, but are certainly not urged to leave quickly if they are not prepared. Often, residents simply need to come to the centre to deal with bouts of depression so that they can return home to their families and spouses without having to endure a hospital visit.
The centre is named after the late Fr. Mathias Barrett, O.H., a native of Waterford, Ireland. He founded the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd congregation in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1951 before moving to Hamilton and establishing the Good Shepherd Centres there in 1961. As a brother of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Fr. Barrett’s focus was to provide health, social and pastoral care to ill, vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society.
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Caitlin Badger, The Catholic Register |
| About the author: |
| Caitlin Badger is an intern reporter for the Catholic Register. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Jerome's University at the University of Waterloo , where she studied English Rhetoric and Professional Writing.
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