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Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson (right) chats with Marcel Otis after announcement was made. (DAVE SIDAWAY)
Vets' hospital expands post-traumatic stress treatment
First residential clinic in Canada for military personnel
The Gazette
Friday, January 16, 2009
Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson (right) chats with Marcel Otis after announcement was made. (DAVE SIDAWAY)
When it opens, by this fall, the clinic in Ste. Anne de Bellevue will accommodate up to 10 patients at a time for stays of up to eight weeks, the federal Veterans Affairs Department said yesterday.
The clinic will treat patients with a range of mental health problems, including anxiety disorders, depression and addiction. Those treated will include veterans, members of the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by aggression, insomnia, flashbacks and drug and alcohol abuse. Untreated, people with PTSD can become suicidal and dangerous to others. Since 2002, there has been more than a four-fold increase in the number of veterans diagnosed with operational stress injuries, some of them years after serving in places like Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda and the Middle East.
The clinic at Ste. Anne's Hospital, a 475-bed facility, will be the first of 10 such clinics planned across Canada.
The new clinic will have an annual operating budget of about $1.1 million.
Veterans Hospital-