Island Health is looking for facilities in the Victoria and Nanaimo areas for hard-to-house patients in need of around-the-clock medical care, after an attempt to accommodate them in two long-term-care homes failed.
The health authority has posted a request for proposals for a longer-term care facility for “special populations” with complex medical, mental health, behavioural and possibly substance-use issues for up to 30 residents in the Nanaimo area, along with a similar request to lease a facility in the Victoria area.
The closing date is Nov. 15.
In a statement, Island Health said it recognizes housing people with active substance-use and behavioural challenges in long-term-care homes “has created concerns at some of our long-term care sites which primarily provide care to a frail elderly population.”
The health authority said it hopes once it acquires the facilities — which could take up to a year based on earlier statements — it will result in “new services that support the care needs, wellness goals and interests of a younger population that require 24/7 care.”
About two years ago, Island Health created segregated “special population units” at The Summit on Hillside Avenue in Victoria and Dufferin Place in Nanaimo for those with complex medical and mental-health and behavioural issues, often younger adults who are too disruptive for seniors homes and hospitals.
There is a 24-bed special population unit at the 138-bed Dufferin Place and a 12-bed unit at the 320-bed The Summit — although workers there say another 13 residents with mostly mental-health issues have been added, for a total of 25 people on that facility’s first floor.
The units went largely unnoticed until fed-up staff at both facilities raised the alarm, saying the small group of residents, many with addictions and brain damage, regularly smoke illicit drugs, are disruptive and absorb a disproportionate amount of staff time.
Dufferin Place nurse Lana Lekopoy, a registered nurse for almost 40 years who is now on stress leave, told the Times Colonist the unit operated like a homeless shelter with no rules or specialized staffing to deal with drugs, weapons, alcohol and violence. Another staff member, who asked for anonymity, corroborated Lekopoy’s account.
Meanwhile, a staff member at The Summit made a plea for enforcement of no-smoking rules, full-time security and specialized clinicians to deal with a small group of “special population” residents reported to be regularly smoking illicit drugs such as methamphetamines, uttering threats and posing a risk to frail elderly residents.
The staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was also lots of verbal abuse and occasional physical altercations between residents, including instances where staff members were injured.
Island Health said last week that it is experiencing an increase in adult residents who require 24/7 medical care but have significant behavioural, mental health and possibly addiction issues and brain damage from prolonged substance use and overdoses, and cannot live independently.
“It is recognized this population, while they require 24/7 care, do not always integrate well with the traditional frail elderly population in long term care,” the health authority said.
James Hanson, vice-president of clinical services and acute care in the North Island, said in an earlier interview the special population patients were previously either already in long-term care elsewhere or in acute-care facilities, but weren’t a good fit due to aggressive, sporadic or unusual behaviour.
The intent of the units wasn’t specifically for those also dealing with substance-use disorder, but over the years, the demographic changed, Hanson said.
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