A FORMER patient has stressed the need for Panorama Clinic to stay where it is after councillor Warren Aubin called for the facility to be relocated to make way for more emergency department beds.
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Living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, Bathurst resident Jody Parker as had to use the clinic's inpatient services three times in recent years, most recently 18 months ago.
READ MORE: Jody says Panorama Clinic saved her life
Sadly, both her husband and son have had to stay at Panorama Clinic at different times.
Mrs Parker said Cr Aubin's recent comments had displayed "a startling lack of understanding in regard to the role of Panorama Clinic in our community".
"I'm personally against [relocating] it, because I just think it is running effectively, it's been established there for a long time, it is working well, so why disrupt that?" she said.
Cr Aubin had also said that the hospital at home delivery had been a success and suggested it was time to re-think how the facility operates.
Mrs Parker, however, said services in the home aren't a viable option for many people.
"The home delivery was a poor substitute for the inpatient therapeutic environment established at Panorama Clinic," she said.
"Home delivery is not appropriate in many situations and could impede a patient's access to timely and effective mental health interventions."
Speaking of her own experience, she said the current location of the clinic was important and ideal.
Mrs Parker said the setting, where patients can walk around the hospital grounds, makes it possible for people to still feel like part of the community while getting treatment.
"It something we feel secure in. It's a safe location and it's inclusive," she said.
"... I worry if you took Panorama Clinic away from that setting that you wouldn't have that."
She said that the need for additional emergency department beds is "an issue for hospital management and NSW Health".
If a decision is made to relocate Panorama Clinic, she said the doors should not close until another suitable facility is ready.
"That would be non-negotiable. It would absolutely have to stay in place," Mrs Parker said.
"Plus, I hope a new facility would be accessible to everybody. The current location is very good.
"While it's being built, Panorama Clinic has to stay open. It could quite literally be the difference between someone staying alive or not."