The Inglis Street Activity Centre was initiated in November 1975 to meet the growing need in Halifax for a structured aftercare program for the long-term psychiatric patients being discharged from the Abbie J. Lane Memorial Hospital. It is a pilot program, operated by the Abbie J. Lane staff five afternoons per week, in a large house in a residential area of the city. Inpatients who are being prepared for discharge begin attending the program while in hospital, and continue after discharge until they are able to fully integrate into the community. Clients are accepted from other agencies as well, and the program is seen as being preventive as well as a provider of aftercare. Of the 64 clients seen in the first year of operation, only seven were readmitted to hospital, and the length of hospital stay for these seven was significantly reduced. The operating expenses were minimal ($11,456 including salaries) and it is felt that this has been an effective model for assisting the long-term psychiatric client to successfully make the transition from hospital to community.
