Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid with local philanthropist and businessman Joseph Segal (left) and VCH President and CEO Dr. David Ostrow (right) announce funding for a new mental health centre at VGH.
The Provincial Government, Vancouver Coastal Health and VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation held a press conference at VGH on March 15 for a special announcement regarding mental health care for British Columbians.
Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid announced that the Provincial Government is contributing $57 million towards the construction of a new mental health treatment facility at VGH, to be named the Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre.
Total capital cost for the project is estimated at $82 million, with the provincial government contributing $57 million. VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation has committed $25 million to the new centre, including a lead gift of $12 million from Joseph and Rosalie Segal.
Joseph Segal spoke at the press conference and said: “You hear about all of the visible diseases, when people walk around with a heart problem, they walk a little slower, and when people walk around with cancer, they walk around with pain. When you walk around with mental health, you walk around alone.”
“The new Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre will replace outdated facilities and provide a safer, healthier environment for our clients and the outstanding team of mental health care professionals who support them. It will not only be the largest facility of its kind in the province for people with mental illness, we believe it will be the best,” said Dr. David Ostrow, President and CEO of VCH.
The new Centre will include 100 private rooms on eight floors with improved patient and staff safety and security.
VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation also announced a public fundraising campaign “Make Mental Health Matter” with key media partners including the Vancouver Sun and CKNW to raise the remaining $10 million for the new centre.
Groundwork is expected to start this fall with opening projected for spring 2017. The new centre will be constructed on the current site of VCH’s Willow Chest Centre at VGH.
For campaign updates or to make a gift, visit givetomentalhealth.ca.
For more JRSFHC-related news, the Willow Chest tertiary mental health program is moving May 1. Read all about it here.