Acute Mental Health (Inpatient)

Having a mental health crisis that could lead to hospitalization can mean different things to different people, including:

Being too depressed or exhausted to get out of bed and care for oneself or family day to day
Hearing voices or seeing things that are not there for the first time or beyond one’s usual condition
Thinking about and having a plan to harm oneself or others
Not eating or sleeping for several days in a row
Feeling agitated, and not being able to think clearly
Experiencing symptoms that one can no longer manage and that require a major adjustment in medication with close monitoring over several days

Voluntary Admission:

MHSRC in-patient services are available to those in need of short-term mental health care on a voluntary basis. Voluntary admission can be organized by the person being admitted or by a physician, parent or guardian.

Involuntary Admission:

When a person is so ill that they risk hurting themselves or others but does not wish to enter hospital, involuntary admission -- formed care -- can be initiated by the attending physician. Admission may follow a request from health professionals including Emergency Support Services or the police. Care under Form 1 requires that a formal psychiatric assessment take place at a Schedule 1 facility.

Service users requiring formed care are transferred to qualified facilities within the Champlain LHIN, including the Montfort, Queensway Carleton and the Ottawa Hospitals. Our goal is to support the return of all service users back to their home community by direct transfer to the Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) or by referral and liaison with local community mental health and addiction treatment service providers.

In-Patient Care:

Provided in a pleasant, respectful and safe environment at the PRH Acute Mental Health Unit, our in-patient services include:

Medical screening
Mental health status assessment and diagnosis
Co-occurring substance-use assessment
Individual and group wellness education and support counselling
Development of an individualized hospital discharge plan in collaboration with a community care worker, including links to community services

Your recovery goals guide our support. Let us know what you most want to gain from being admitted to our unit. If you are not sure, we will be there to support you until it becomes clearer.

In-Patient Team:

Supporting recovery, our in-patient inter-disciplinary team includes:

Psychiatrists
Clinical Manager
Nurses
Social Workers
Recreational Therapists
Peer Support
Service Navigator
Community Case Worker
Occupational Therapists (on consultation basis)
Physiotherapists (on consultation basis)

To ensure broad-based, quality health care, we provide other specialized services by request, such as pharmacy, nutrition and medical consultation services.

To keep everyone safe, all service users and their belongings are searched upon arrival, and the premises are monitored by security cameras.

We are a smoke free environment. Smoking material is kept at the nursing station and smoking only takes place off hospital grounds.

Leave from the unit following admission:

After a period of evaluation, you and your psychiatrist will determine when you may take leave from the unit for day passes.

Medication:

Under the guidance of the psychiatrist, a voluntary hospitalization provides an opportunity to discuss and explore the role of medication in the management of symptoms.

Family and friends may need to be aware and sensitive to the fact that the desire for visitation and support may vary from person to person. As an in-patient on our unit, we encourage you however to involve and share your personal health information with someone you care and trust so that they can assist and support you as you transition back in community and at home.

Call: (613) 732-2811, extension 6144

Toll Free: 1-800-991-7711, extension 6144

24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line: 1-866-996-0991

Mailing address:

Acute Mental Health Unit

Pembroke Regional Hospital

705 Mackay Street

Pembroke ON K8A 1G8

For more information:

Download Welcome To Acute Mental Health Information Sheet

Ontario Hospital Association, A Practical Guide to Mental Health and the Law in Ontario, October 2012, Assessment and Hospitalization Under Mental Health Act, Chapter 3, page 32.

Hôpital Montfort Mental Health
The Ottawa Hospital Mental Health
The Queensway Carleton Hospital Mental Health