Zoe presents CAMHS petition to Parliament

Nelson health campaigner Zoe Palmer is determined to keep the pressure on to halt changes to the local specialist youth mental health crisis team. The 18-year-old Nelson College for Girls student yesterday delivered a 2280-signature petition to Green MP Gareth Hughes and Labour’s Paul Eagle on the steps of Parliament. The petition calls for a halt to changes to the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), which would see its specialists removed from the after-hours crisis team. Palmer had hoped to meet Health Minister David Clark, who has ordered an urgent review of the board’s changes. But seeing him walk past while she waited in a parliamentary foyer was as close as she got. She said she now planned to meet with her campaign team to decide on their next move. ‘‘The minister has asked for an urgent review, so that implies we should hear relatively soon,’’ she said. ‘‘The sooner the better – it’s something we have to act on.’’