Restigouche Hospital Centre

General Info

The Restigouche Hospital Centre (RHC) in Campbellton provides specialized mental health services in both official languages to all residents of New Brunswick.

This 140-bed hospital provides:

  • Specialized medium- and long-term psychiatric rehabilitation services;
  • Consultation and stabilization for those suffering from complex psychiatric problems or other related illnesses;
  • Forensic psychiatry (assessment of fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility);
  • Care for those who have been found not criminally responsible because of mental disorders or who are not fit to stand trial.

The objective of the RHC is overall recovery, personal development, a return to independence, and reintegration into society for patients.

Persons with a mental illness can recover. The approach focuses on helping patients to live the fullest and most normal LIVES possible, while making sure that they are guided by their own choices as citizens and members of their community.

Interdisciplinary services and programs are important elements in rehabilitation. They are adapted to the needs of each patient to make them effective. Continuity of care requires collaboration with caregivers, community mental health centres, and addiction services to provide patients with the support they need.

 

Partnership

The Mental Health Commission of Canada has recognized the RHC for its new model of recovery-based care. It is working in partnership with Dr. David Stayner of the community health and recovery program at Yale University in Connecticut.

 

Visitor information

No scent policy

Visitors are advised not to wear highly scented personal products.

Smoke-free environment

Smoking is prohibited inside the facility, on the grounds, and in the parking lots.

Alcohol and drugs

Alcoholic beverages and illicit drugs are prohibited.

Use of cellphones

The use of cellphones is:

  • Allowed in public areas such as reception, corridors, and the family room;
  • Prohibited in patient care areas, as indicated by the red signs.

Lost and found

Items found are brought to Security.

Public telephones

There are public telephones at the main entrance.

Services

Admission

All requests for admission to the RHC are reviewed by the Admission Committee, except those to Forensic Psychiatry which are ordered by the Court.

The goals of the Admission Committee are to :

  • Give equitable and transparent access to specialized psychiatric care to all residents served by Vitalité Health Network;
  • Prioritize admissions based on established criteria;
  • Provide consultation and support services in tertiary psychiatry.

The individual may be directed to one of the following programs, if applicable:

  • Tertiary psychiatric care:
    • Rehabilitation;
    • Ongoing rehabilitation;
    • Community reintegration;
  • Geriatric rehabilitation.

To obtain an admission form, contact the Nursing Department at 506-760-4004. The completed form must be faxed to 506-760-4035.

 

Other services

Visiting Hours

COVID-19: See Restrictions on visits >

Visits are limited to immediate family and significant others.

Schedules are flexible based on the patients’ treatment plan. Prior arrangements must be made with the nurse manager at all times and on all units.

Assessment Unit/Forensic Psychiatry
Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. only

How to get there

The RHC is at 63 Gallant Drive in Campbellton, New Brunswick.

Because of construction work on the new facility, please follow the signs to the temporary parking lots.

Voir dans Google Map

Parking

Parking is free.

Our Team

The RHC team includes:

  • Psychiatrists;
  • Family physicians;
  • Psychologists;
  • Nursing staff;
  • Occupational therapists;
  • Social workers;
  • Recreationists;
  • Addiction workers;
  • Pharmacists;
  • Speech-language pathologists;
  • Nutritionists.

The RHC team also provides spiritual and religious care services.

History

Construction on the Restigouche Hospital Centre, formerly known as the Provincial Hospital, began in Campbellton in 1951 at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain. The facility was built based on a recommendation by the Baxter Inquiry Commission for a new psychiatric hospital in the northern part of the province. The hospital opened officially on June 12, 1954.

In 1968, the hospital intensified its efforts to focus more on rehabilitation.

In 1972, the Department of Health decided to reorganize the services provided at the hospital and set at 478 the number of beds allocated to deliver psychiatric care. This included 24 beds on a maximum security unit, now known as the Forensic Psychiatry Unit. The hospital has five other main departments: Acute Care, Rehabilitation, Psychogeriatrics, Mental Retardation, and an Infirmary.

In 1976, the Department of Health created a board of directors. The Board’s original role was purely advisory, but in July 1978 is was given full power and authority to carry out its mandate. At the same time, a new corporation, the “Restigouche Hospital Centre Inc.”, was formed.

In June 1984, thanks to the efforts of the community and of all employees, the facility was accredited by the Canadian Council on Hospital Accreditation (now Accreditation Canada). At that time the hospital had 350 beds as a result of a first attempt at deinstitutionalization for 125 patients.

In the early 1990s, the RHC launched a second community reintegration project for a number of patients. Today, the RHC has 172 beds, and a third deinstitutionalization project currently under way is allowing patients receiving long-term care to return to their communities.

In 2007, the Department of Health announced that a new hospital would be built to replace the existing RHC, which is outdated. Construction started in 2010 and the new 140-bed psychiatric hospital is scheduled to be completed in 2014. At the same time, the Restigouche Hospital Centre has adopted a new mission and new guidelines that reaffirm its objective of providing optimal psychiatric care. This includes the adoption of a new recovery-based care model.

Back to top