Situation worsens for mental health consumers, says OPSEU - Health

Community Action, Dec 9, 2002

TORONTO -- Both consumers and ex-consumers of mental health services "are being short changed in virtually every aspect of their lives" and the situation continues to worsen says a recently released report from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

In its report, Reality, Ontario's Mental Health Care system isn't working, the union identified ten system-wide failings in the current mental health care system, including:

* no admittance of severely ill patients despite empty beds,

* the lack of affordable housing,

* program cuts for those released back into the community, and

* increased incarceration of the mentally ill in jails.

However, George Langill, CEO of the Royal Ottawa Hospital responded that "Anyone in emergency or crisis will get the support they need, either in crisis community team, or in psychiatric emergency portion of our general hospitals."

The 100-page report, which was researched and written by Janet Solberg, is a compilation of views gathered from workshops held between October 2001 and August 2002 across the province with OPSEU members, who work in the field as well as in corrections.

Citing the merger of six of ten Provincial Psychiatric Hospitals with general hospitals along with privatizing and provincial cuts in funding for community programs as the source of "devastating effects" on mental health care, the report also says "the recruitment and retention of staff has never been more difficult."

The report notes that not only are mental health services "disjointed and overlapping" but "organizational confusion is the rule" resulting in not knowing which community agency is responsible for what.

Dr. Swenson, director of outpatient and community psychiatry at Royal Ottawa Hospital, said "government, in the last two years, has put more money into the psychiatric emergency services at the Ottawa Hospital, in terms of 24-hour nursing availability, social work availability."