Campaign for mental health services

I have been following the discussion about the lack of doctors, psychiatrists, nurses and mental health funding on P.E.I.

Apparently the government will not issue any more billing numbers to family docs, which, if I understand correctly, means unless a doctor is working out of a hospital he/she can not bill for their services. Who is going to move somewhere to work if they can’t get paid? Supposedly older doctors are hanging on to their numbers so they can bill if they make the occasional hospital visit.

Regarding the lack of psychiatrists, our government does not yet view it as a crisis. I volunteer with the Canadian Mental Health Association, facilitating a program for family members of those coping with a mental illness. I promise you, if you listened to the stories related by these families you would get that there is indeed a crisis. Perhaps reading the #HowManyWade posts on Facebook would further convince the government.

I know that there are new mental health walk-in clinics opened, and yet there has been no new funding to hire additional staff. The only way to make changes is to bombard the government with our opinions through a letter-writing campaign. Please make several copies of the following letter. Give a copy to everyone you know and remind them that it is free to mail a letter to the government:

Dear Mr. MacLauchlan and Mr. Henderson,

As a citizen of P.E.I. I believe it is my right to have access to consistent medical care through a family medicine practice. If I chose to attend a walk-in clinic I would like it to be a choice not a necessity. I believe I have the right to receive timely, ongoing psychiatric care if I need it. I am demanding that the government of P.E.I. issue more billing numbers, hire more family physicians, psychiatrists and nurses and offer these professionals the support they need if moving from another province.

Martha Howatt, Borden-Carleton