The Editor,
It is fair to say that we are in crisis mode when it comes to mental health, substance use and justice.
Stakeholders are burning out as a result of unspoken truths. Funding is required immediately to build facilities providing safe housing and integrated treatment that is directly sponsored by health authorities.
I have reviewed dozens of reports stating jail is no place for our seriously mentally ill. Surrey requires a mental health court to divert hundreds of people to health care. Canada's chief correctional investigator, Howard Sapers, has indicated for multiple years now that we have too many citizens in jail who are ill.
Of course, health care could not possibly handle a surge of hundreds of broken souls struggling with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use. Every week, dozens of citizens are diverted from health care back to the very environment that perpetuates their illness.
We somehow, in the last 30 years, have decided that this population is not entitled to the health care they truly need. This is contrary to Section 8.1 of the B.C. Human Rights Code that states all residents are eligible for health care. In essence we are breaking a fundamental right by not providing this vulnerable population appropriate treatment.
For 12 years, I have watched my own son slowly commit suicide as a result of his untreated illness. I have witnessed him being turned away at the ER because of his concurrent disorders.
If he had cancer he would be in hospice, have lots of love around him and be provided appropriate treatment including dignity and respect.
In fact the only time he is treated with some dignity is when he is incarcerated for a breach of probation - yes, he is safer in jail and placed in a medical wing where his illness is acknowledged.
That's when my family is able to take a break from this nightmare. We can sleep, breathe, find some normalcy but most importantly know that he won't be harmed until the next release. The lack of treatment for our son has made the entire family ill one way or another and over time creates more burden on our health care system.
When will policy makers listen? What is it about government that prevents the appropriate funding to manage and cure this absolute crisis in our communities?
We all read about the side effects and costs to society. Surely there must be families employed by all levels of government who have their own mental health issues. All stakeholders want to do the job they are trained to do but policy and lack of funding is preventing that.
Government must step up immediately. Courts must force health care to treat this growing vulnerable population. And most importantly - citizens must change their own attitude towards these citizens of B.C. insisting our systems provide care. After all this could be your son or daughter - what would you expect from our policy makers?
Gord Bylo, Surrey