News release

Province Celebrates the Opening of Community Living Units

Health and Wellness

Nova Scotians recovering from mental illness now have more support as they transition from inpatient care to living more independently in their communities.

Simpson Landing is a set of community living units on the Nova Scotia Hospital site. It is designed to support people who need more rehabilitation and skills development to safely transition back to their community. The government, Capital District Health Authority, and the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia officially opened the facility today, Aug. 1.

"The government is proud to provide better care and more opportunities for people with mental illness in Nova Scotia," said David Wilson, Minister of Health and Wellness. "Simpson Landing will make life better for Nova Scotians living with a mental illness, and we are pleased to have been a part of making this project happen."

Simpson Landing features four bungalows, each with 10 bedrooms and living space. The residential-style units create a community-focused living and care environment outside of the traditional hospital setting, to support patients, their families and staff.

"Transitioning from a fully-supported hospital environment back into the community can be a stressful experience for many individuals living with a mental illness," said Danny Chedrawe, chair of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia Board of Trustees.

"By contributing to this project, the foundation is ensuring critical mental health care needs are being met so that Nova Scotians experience smoother hospital-to-home transitions and improved recovery rates as they each make their unique journey home," said Mr. Chedrawe.

The $10.3-million project was cost-shared by the province, health authority and the mental health foundation. The provincial portion of the funding is $8.6, while the health authority and the mental health foundation contributed $1.7 million.

"This has truly been a collaboration. Capital Health engineers, the Department of Health and Wellness, the architectural firm, builders, and members of the Mental Health Program came together to complete this project,” said Barbara Hall, vice president of Person-Centred Health, Capital Health District Authority.

"They worked with individuals living with mental illness, family members, clinicians and managers who ensured the spirit of recovery and integration back into the community informed the look and feel of Simpson Landing." said Ms. Hall.

Construction of the units began in 2010. and The facility is a part of the Mental Health program's Recovery and Integration Strategy at Capital Health. The units were open to patients as of June 19.