On September 24, Musqueam Elder Shane Pointe (Ti’ te-in) led a ceremony steeped in tradition to bless the site of the future Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre (JRSFHC).

“When I was getting ready this morning,” he said, “I thought about mental health and what’s going to happen here, and who it will help. I thought about the strength that will be needed to facilitate the good health of people here, and how staff will need strength to help people heal.”

The JRSFHC will make its home at the site of the former Willow Chest building, which is in the final stages of demolition. Like the rest of the VGH campus, this site is on the traditional territory of the Musqueam First Nation.

“This earth has been asked to do a special job,” said Shane, “which is to lift up and make the house strong, and help everyone in the house be strong and have a strong heart and strong mind.”

Centre focused on recovery and healing

The Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre will consolidate inpatient, outpatient and outreach mental health and addiction services in a home-like environment designed for wellness and recovery.

The JRSFHC will provide a seamless continuum of care by consolidating inpatient, outpatient and outreach mental health and addiction services in one eight-storey building.

“Every aspect of the centre — from amenities and furnishings to the delivery of care — will be patient-focused,” says Laura Case, chief operating officer of Vancouver Community. Laura, who attended the Blessing, says “the ceremony was meaningful on so many levels and signifies new beginnings, and a new era for mental health.”

The JRSFHC will include 100 private patient rooms, each with its own bathroom and toilet. Each inpatient floor will have physical fitness space; each unit will provide access to outdoor space, and the building will offer rooftop gardens and space for spiritual practice.

Thanks to the input of more than 100 stakeholders, including many of our own mental health physicians, staff and patients, the centre’s forward-thinking design will create a therapeutic environment focused on recovery, and a positive workplace that’s healthy, safe and comfortable,” explains Laura.

Construction anticipated in 2015

Pending development and building permit approvals by the City of Vancouver, construction will begin in early 2015. The design builder Ellis Don, in partnership with Parkin Architects, will construct the centre to meet LEED Gold green building certification standards, and to reflect the input of ongoing consultations with patients, families, staff and physicians.

In the meantime, fencing will remain in place around the Willow Chest demolition site, home of the new JRSFHC, and the removal and relocation of gas tanks on the VGH campus will be finalized this fall.

This work will continue to impact parking and circulation access to the centre courtyard of VGH. Staff, patients and families and other visitors will notice pedestrian and traffic control signage at the Willow Street and 10th Avenue intersection. Access to loading areas will remain in place but circulation may need to be altered; further details will be shared at a later date by the Project Management Team and Parking Services.

The Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre is scheduled for completion by 2017.

To learn more about how VCH is working in partnership with First Nation communities and our Aboriginal Health Strategic Initiatives, visit: http://aboriginalhealth.vch.ca/working-together/cultural-competency.