Released on May 7, 2010
Mental Health Week took on special meaning in Saskatoon this year, with today's grand opening of the new Irene and Leslie Dubé Centre for Mental Health, on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River near Royal University Hospital (RUH).
Private rooms, scenic views and modern architecture mixed with a traditional Tyndall-stone exterior give the $23.2-million building an open, uplifting feel suited to recovery and therapy for people living with mental illnesses.
It replaces two acute care sites - an 18-bed unit formerly at Saskatoon City Hospital and a 32-bed unit housed in a former nurses' residence at RUH. The new building houses 54 beds for adults, plus 10 beds in a separate section for children and youth, including a dedicated adolescent unit.
"True healing requires community commitment and support," mental health advocate Clint Broten said. "For more than 20 years, we have been working to end stigmas attached to mental illness. We still have work to do, but today's grand opening shows just how far we've come."
"The construction of this remarkable building in this peaceful location shows what a positive impact we can have when we invest in our health infrastructure," Health Minister Don McMorris said. "On behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan, I am proud to join clients, staff and the community in celebrating a major step forward for mental health in Saskatchewan."
"The Dubé Centre provides an ideal environment for mental health patients and their families to receive care, including extended visiting hours and enhanced programming on evenings and weekends," Saskatoon Regional Health Authority Chairperson Jim Rhode said. "We are also grateful to provide a safe, secure area for children and youth to receive care, apart from the adult population."
For Concorde Group founders Irene and Leslie Dubé, whose $3 million donation kick-started the fundraising campaign, the facility has exceeded their expectations.
"The design and location of the building provide a positive environment for the healing process," Irene Dubé said. "Our hopes and prayers for each and every person who comes to the Centre is that they will find the peace, solace and healing their lives require."
"At Royal University Hospital Foundation, we take pride in the generosity of our community - in the hundreds of individuals and organizations who supported The Future in Mind Campaign - who saw the vision of the Dubé Centre even before this beautiful building was erected on the banks of the South Saskatchewan, and who gave from the heart," Foundation Volunteer Board Chair Arnie Arnott said.
After the Government of Saskatchewan committed to pay 65 per cent of construction costs, (final contribution: $14.9 million), fundraising for the Dubé Centre started in October 2007, and construction began in early 2008. The building was completed January 2010 and opened its doors to clients in February.
The Future in Mind Campaign, led by the Royal University Hospital and Saskatoon City Hospital Foundations, raised more than $10.8 million from individual, group and corporate donors. The Campaign contributed the $8.7 million local share of construction, equipment and furniture costs. The remaining $2.1 million was invested in the Community Mental Health Endowment to support research, enhanced training and programs that build connections between the Centre and the community.
Visit YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Perjn53ksDc for online tours of the Irene and Leslie Dubé Centre for Mental Health.
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For more information, contact:
Karen Hill
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Linda Walker
Saskatoon Health Region
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-655-3328