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Province denies mental health services are poor

29.08.2008 20:03 Health - Source: cbc.ca

Mental health services are adequate, despite a recent report that suggests mental health patients on P.E.I. are released too early, forcing them to return more often, say provincial health officials.

The head of psychiatry at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown and spokesperson for the Health Department, Dr. Naheem Dada, said the study ignores the larger picture of mental health treatment on P.E.I.

"I suspect as you consolidate outpatient services, as you consolidate community-based services, as you consolidate addiction services, then the need for admissions to hospitals gets reduced — that can change the figures," he said.

The study, by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, looked at the Prince County, Queen Elizabeth and Hillsborough hospitals using data from 2005.

At 12 per cent, P.E.I. has the highest rate in Canada of patients who are re-admitted within 30 days. The province also has the shortest length of hospital stay for mental health treatment in the country, at 11 days.

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