Greater Sudbury mayoral candidate Dan Melanson suggests using the Cecil Facer youth correctional facility, which is underutilized, to assess mental health and addictions patients currently brought into Health Sciences North's emergency department by Greater Sudbury Police.
"Officers cannot simply leave these people at the door of the emergency room," he said. "They must stay with the individual until they are examined and then admitted for treatment or released back to police for incarceration.
"We all know how long it can take to get admitted at the emergency room at HSN, so as a result it’s not uncommon for police officers to spend an entire shift waiting at the hospital for the person apprehended to be assessed.
"There are times when there are more officers waiting at the hospital than there are out on patrol. This is not an efficient use of resources."
Cecil Facer is a provincially-owned facility that is secure, has medical staff, corrections personnel trained to work with people who are experiencing mental health problems and it is under utilized, he said.
Originally designed to hold 48 juvenile offenders, it has for some time now only housed fewer than a dozen youth. This facility either in whole or in part could be utilized as the designated facility for police to bring those persons apprehended due to drug and alcohol offences for medical assessment.
This would free up officers to resume their patrol duties in a timely manner and reduce the burden on the emergency room at HSN while increasing the use of an under-utilized provincial asset.
Full text of Melanson's news release:
More Efficient Use of Public Sector Resources.
It’s not unusual to see police vehicles and officers at the hospital. On any given day and at various times throughout, there can be as many officers waiting at Health Sciences North (HSN).
Ever wonder why?
Well quite often the reason is they have apprehended a person who is intoxicated and officers are required to take them to the hospital to be examined by medical staff.
This all seems very straight forward however, officers cannot simply leave these people at the door of the emergency room. They must stay with the individual until they are examined and then admitted for treatment or released back to police for incarceration.
We all know how long it can take to get admitted at the emergency room at HSN, so as a result it’s not uncommon for police officers to spend an entire shift waiting at the hospital for the person apprehended to be assessed.
There are times when there are more officers waiting at the hospital than there are out on patrol. This is not an efficient use of resources.
So, what is the solution?
One possible solution would be to repurpose other assets and services that are currently under-utilized to provide some relief.
For example, Cecil Facer is a provincially-owned facility that is secure, has medical staff, corrections personnel trained to work with people who are experiencing mental health problems and it is under utilized.
Originally designed to hold 48 juvenile offenders it has for some time now only housed fewer than a dozen youth. This facility either in whole or in part could be utilized as the designated facility for police to bring those persons apprehended due to drug and alcohol offences for medical assessment.
This would free up officers to resume their patrol duties in a timely manner and reduce the burden on the emergency room at HSN while increasing the use of an under-utilized provincial asset.
The issue of a lack of mental health resources is another critical element that is taxing our policing and emergency room resources.
In conversations with long term emergency room staff, some very candid comments were expressed. It seems as though the HSN emergency room is being used in ways that are not as productive or safe for both patients and emergency care professionals as it should be.
The overall recurring suggestion is that we need an emergency unit that focuses on mental health patients and is specifically equipped and staffed to deal with the issues these patients face.
Patients with mental health issues should not be included in the emergency room with the daily influx of patients from children to seniors who are in need of medical treatment. They need a different kind of specialized care as well as a different environment.
Having to lump everyone together is a disservice to the emergency room workers, citizens requiring medical treatment and the mental health patients themselves.
As your mayor, I will along with council lobby Premier Ford to look into the repurposing of the Cecil Facer facility for drug and alcohol admission and detention and to explore the creation of a mental health emergency treatment program.
The premier has stated often that he is interested in instituting efficiencies, well these ideas seek to maximize under-utilized assets.
Most people would look at this problem and suggest that all that is required is more funding for additional police officers or additional resources at the existing HSN emergency room.
We can’t keep doing everything the same old way. Providing increased funding for additional police officers is expensive and is not the best way to use taxpayers’ dollars.
I try to take a different view of problems and look for solutions that work on multiple levels. Solutions such as these will better utilize hard assets and personnel that will result in a more focused and effective treatment option for all our citizens regardless of their affliction.
This multi-level problem solving approach is one of the skills that I will bring to the job if elected as your mayor.
While I recognize these issues are predominately in the purview of the provincial government, they affect the quality of life for the citizens of Sudbury on a number of levels. It is for that reason I believe the mayor and council should engage with the province in seeking workable solutions.
Dan Melanson
[email protected]
705-521-3536
For more information on Melanson's candidacy, visit his election page on Sudbury.com.
