The IWK Foundation celebrated a $1 million gift from Bell Let’s Talk to support a dedicated mental health space in the new IWK Emergency Department, which will include its own waiting area separate from the general patient areas.

“We continue to see a consistently high number of crisis visits to the IWK Emergency Department for mental health and addictions (MHA), and about 25 per cent of these patients require admission for inpatient MHA care,” said Dr. Alexa Bagnell, Chief of Psychiatry, IWK Health. “Research in stigma and trauma-informed care shows that experience in the Emergency Department impacts how patients and families feel about seeking future mental health care. The new Emergency Mental Health and Addictions area will provide a safe, private space for our patients and families in an environment that complements the exceptional care from our well-trained emergency mental health and addictions clinicians and physicians.”

Learn more about this transformational gift at iwkfoundation.org.

Learn more about the IWK emergency department redevelopment project

Left to right: Dr. Krista Jangaard, President & CEO, IWK Health; Mirko Bibic, President & CEO, Bell Canada; Canon Beazley, IWK patient; Glen LeBlanc, Vice-Chair, Atlantic, Bell Canada; Mary Deacon, Chair, Bell Let’s Talk; Dr. Alexa Bagnell, Chief of Psychiatry, IWK Health; Jennifer Gillivan, President & CEO, IWK Foundation

Reprinted with permission from IWK Health and the IWK Foundation