Northern Health hears first hand of problems with local health care

People falling through the cracks, long standing issues and a lack of shelter for those in the most need were some of the key concerns brought to a forum about the state of treatment for mental health and addictions.

City councillors, local officials and citizens raised a number of concerns about the issue a long standing problem in the city and one that seems to keep getting pushed into a corner or swept under a rug.

The many issues that plague the city have been long standing ones, but lately seem to be getting worse and far more noticeable to the average citizen, the real question is whether Health officials are noticing and more importantly will they take action.

The Daily News featured the developments from the session in Wednesday's paper.

GAPS IN HEALTH, ADDICTION SERVICES PAINFUL
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Prince Rupert has a hospital with no psychiatric ward, yet it has psychiatric patients. It has people rummaging through trash cans to find pop bottles to pay for cheap liquor, but no detoxification centre. And it has teenagers moving nightly from couch to couch, but no homeless shelter.

That was the message health care providers, politicians and the public brought to Northern Health during a meeting about the state of treatment for mental health and addictions.
Coun. Joy Thorkelson said the issue of a lack of a detoxification facility has been problematic for decades.

"The biggest addiction in this town is alcohol," said Thorkelson.

"Things have not changed. It seems to be harder now for people to get treatment."

She said that when people have to wait weeks to get into an out-of-town facility for detoxification, most of the time they don't make it to the detoxification centre.

"I passed two young men in their late 20s, early 30s on their way here who used to hold down decent jobs in the fishing industry who now are just down and out, digging in the garbage for pop cans," said Thorkelson.

"These used to be people who could make a living but they could never make it on the bus to Prince George."

Other health care providers noted the lack of beds available to the homeless, and the lack of programs to get them back on their feet.

Coun. Sheila Gordon-Payne said she is most concerned about the people who fall through the cracks.

People who come into the emergency ward with a mental health problem in a life or death state receive treatment at the hospital, but if they can make it through the night on their own, they are sent home.

In addition, participants noted police and the hospital often use each other's beds (even in the cells) to house those who need someplace to sleep it off.

Police often become the health care system for those struggling with severe mental health and additions problems after 5 p.m. There is no one in town trained to deal with HIV patients, a lack of outreach services to the villages and the current staff at Northern Health Mental Health and Addictions are stretched to the limit, said participants.

Joanne Bezzubetz, Northern Health's regional director of addictions and mental health, agreed they need to provide more training for front-line health care providers such as those at the hospital to help them deal with mental health problems.

Nor do they offer prevention when it comes to mental health problems, but it is an area they do need to get into.

The public meeting was part of a consultation Northern Health is holding on mental health and addictions service.

Northern Health is holding 35 community meetings across the North from May 23 to July 5.
For those who did not attend Monday night's meeting, people can still submit their comments either by phone, mail or email. "Let's Talk About Addictions & Mental Health" comment forms, and discussion guides, are available at www.northernhealth.ca, as well as at local health units, health centres and hospitals.

"People can still respond on comment forms until July 7," said Sonya Kruger, communications officer for Northern Health.