A new facility dedicated to addressing the complex mental health needs of children and teenagers in Fort McMurray is expected to open its doors by fall 2027. The project, spearheaded by CASA Mental Health, aims to alleviate the critical shortages in mental health care services in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region.
This facility, the first of its kind by CASA in the area, marks a significant expansion of mental health services. According to Bonnie Blakley, CEO of CASA Mental Health, the Fort McMurray site will help reduce the strain on their Sherwood Park location, where wait times can extend up to 18 months.
“A third of our beds are allocated for northern communities, which is far from sufficient to meet the current needs of rural areas,” Blakley said. “Children are traveling long distances from the north for care, and such delays are detrimental to their well-being.”
The new facility, named CASA House, will offer both day and residential programs. The day program will provide therapeutic services during the day, allowing patients to return home at night. The residential program is designed for youth requiring more intensive, overnight care.
Spanning 40,000 square feet, the 20-bed facility will focus on long-term treatment plans and will actively involve families in the healing process. “If a child is on multiple medications and undergoing various forms of therapy, integrated support is crucial,” Blakley explained. “Hospitals aren’t typically set up for this kind of comprehensive care.”
Patients will be referred to CASA House through their family doctors. For those without a family doctor, CASA is working on creating self-referral options and connecting patients with physicians who can assist with the referral process.
In addition to the Fort McMurray site, CASA Mental Health plans to establish similar facilities in Medicine Hat and Calgary. The Alberta government has committed $75 million to these projects, funding that CASA must match. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Fort McMurray location will be held once the site is finalized.
Tany Yao, UCP MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, hailed the project as a “game-changer” for local healthcare. “This facility addresses a critical need for youth mental health services in our community, and I’m hopeful it will also lead to more support for addiction treatment programs,” Yao said. “This center will be absolutely phenomenal, and I can’t praise it enough.”
CASA Mental Health is also expanding its services in Fort McMurray this fall with the opening of the first CASA Mental Health Classroom at St. Gabriel’s School. This program, designed for students from Grades 4 to 12 facing complex mental health challenges, will provide psychiatric care along with individual and group therapy, all while supporting their educational needs.
Each classroom will have a full-time teacher and support staff, including a mental health therapist and an aide, capable of assisting up to 12 students per cohort. The Fort McMurray classroom is one of eight opening across Alberta in September, with four more planned for early 2025.
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