Reform emergency psychiatric care

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to pass legislation and provide funding to reform emergency psychiatric care nationwide — improving wait times, crisis-response staffing, discharge protocols and trauma-informed training — under the More for Carlos Act.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada Canadians seeking emergency psychiatric care face excessively long wait times, frequently waiting between 6 to over 24 hours in emergency departments before being assessed by a mental health professional; Patients frequently report encountering stigmatizing attitudes from healthcare staff, a lack of dignity in treatment, and feel their mental health crises are not taken seriously in emergency room environments; There is a lack of standardized protocols and accountability regarding patient discharge, resulting in vulnerable individuals in acute mental distress being repeatedly turned away or discharged unsafely without preventative care; The current crisis response model frequently relies on law enforcement rather than trained social workers or psychiatric professionals, which can escalate distress and criminalize individuals experiencing a mental health emergency; Essential mental health treatments, preventative therapy, and ongoing psychological support are largely excluded from universal public healthcare coverage, forcing patients to rely on inadequate emergency rooms as a last resort; Patients in rural or smaller communities face compounded barriers, including a severe lack of local psychiatric specialists, resulting in individuals being held in crisis for days until inpatient beds become available in larger centers; and There is a significant deficiency in specialized training for hospital staff regarding trauma-informed care, safe de-escalation tactics, and the management of complex or less common psychiatric disorders. We, the undersigned, Citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to take legislative or funding action to address the systemic gaps in emergency psychiatric care across Canada in support of the "More for Carlos Act".

Government response

No government response is available yet.