Standing outside Saskatoon City Hospital, New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Ryan Meili promised on Oct. 8 to establish mental health emergency rooms in the four largest cities in Saskatchewan, should his party be elected to government.
Meili, a physician when he’s not a politician, said, “Even before the pandemic, here in Saskatchewan, many people were struggling. Every family has been touched in some way, by depression, by anxiety, by addictions. We have a mental health and addictions crisis in this province. It's hurting families, and it's hurting our communities. Everyone has the right to feel safe. Everyone has the right to feel supported when they're struggling. The Sask Party has ignored when people have asked for help. They've got no crystal meth or opioid strategy. Despite the fact that we're now years into a crisis with these drugs, they've taken no action on harm reduction.”
He continued, “They voted down a motion for legislation for a suicide prevention strategy. They refused to engage with advocates on that key issue. And when it comes to our emergency rooms, the wait times to get emergency care have risen and risen.
“In Regina, if your physicians decide you need to be admitted for mental health support, you'll wait 10 hours from the time you're admitted before you're in a bed. Here, in Saskatoon, that wait time is 18 hours. Imagine someone in crisis in the emergency room, waiting 18 hours just to get into a bed.
“People are slipping through the cracks. And it has led to often tragic results. Tragic results like the case of Samwel Uko, who lost his life in Regina after being turned away twice in the same day from emergency rooms, while asking for help.”
Meili said a New Democrat government would bring in a comprehensive approach to mental heath and addictions, from prevention, early identification and care, to crisis support and long-term rehabilitation for drug treatment.
Meili committed $2 million for an opioid and crystal methamphetamine strategy with a focus on prevention, harm reduction and access to treatment.
He said, “We're also committing to a legislated suicide prevention strategy. And we're going to invest $7.8 million in dedicated mental health emergency rooms in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon,” he said, noting they would take pressure off already over-crowded emergency rooms.
Meili repeated his warning that the Saskatchewan Party would cut services.
Meili said they would work with the Saskatchewan Health Authority regarding where these facilities would be set up. He noted there would be a triage system, saying, “Either before they get to the hospital, they would know to go to the mental health and addictions emergency, or, if they arrived in a regular emergency, would be escorted to or helped to get to where they would get the appropriate care. Perhaps we could use City Hospital, make a different use of this emergency room, which is underutilized? But we’ll work with the health authority to identify the best way to do this, whether that's new builds or in existing facilities.”
Meili noted his own frustrations as a physician, where people would tell him they were ready to get help, but there would be a month, three months or even a six-month wait to get treatment.
He said in conventional emergency rooms, those with mental health and addictions are mixed in with people with broken arms and heart attacks. “The urgency of those physical ailments often means they get the immediate care. People wait a long time, or they're just not having the folks who have the dedicated, specialized training to support them.”
The two key elements are the specialized care and taking pressure off emergency rooms, according to Meili.
Asked for a response, the Saskatchewan Party said in an email, “We recently announced a $30 million commitment to build urgent care centres in Saskatoon and Regina, which will provide an alternative to emergency rooms for non-life threatening issues. They will both include urgent mental health and addictions supports.
“In 2020-21, the health budget includes a $33 million increase in mental health and addictions spending, for a total of $435 million for mental health and addictions services and supports, an increase of 97 per cent since 2007-08.”
The Sask. Party added $1.55 million was dedicated to a new crystal methamphetamine treatment centre in Estevan and 27 additional detox beds in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert and North Battleford, among other initiatives.
