Media
10 November, 1999
The Windsor Star
RE: The Life of Annie
The recent article, "The Life of Annie" (Nov 6) raises a number of issues related to homelessness and serious mental illness. From the perspective of the PPAO, these issues need to be addressed immediately in order to stop the continued increase in the number of people living on the street.
Community-based programs must be developed, implemented and evaluated prior to the closure of any provincial psychiatric hospital beds. Specialized mental health services must be made available in a timely manner, must be accessible to individuals within their own community and above all be delivered by qualified health practitioners who are required to meet accountability standards.
Complementing and supplementing these initiatives is the inclusion of consumers and their families in the planning and delivery of local services.
Income support payments and disability benefits provided by provincial and federal levels of government must be increased. People living in poverty, paying a disproportionate amount of their income for shelter, are often at risk of becoming homeless. For those who are ill, poverty increases stress and may lead to mental and physical breakdown.
The PPAO does not support implementation of measures that will allow the forced treatment of individuals identified as mentally ill beyond those embodied in existing legislation.
We believe we should improve our utilization of the tools available in our current mental health care system rather than implementing coercive measures that restrict individual freedoms.
The Ontario government is implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) approaches across the province. The PPAO considers that it is too early in the implementation period to determine the impact of this approach and whether, as part of a range of options for consumers, the use of ACT would obviate the need for community treatment orders.
We suggest that ACT be implemented and thoroughly evaluated prior to imposing more restrictive measures on individuals.
Incorporating a Patient's Bill of Rights in the Mental Health Act would be of greater benefit than amendments to the Act supporting coercive treatment
Sincerely,
David Simpson
Patient Advocate
St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital
