Huron Expositor, 2009-01-14, Page 7u..^r- woo. . -.... 4a 'J..
News
Lack of mental-health
services for children
called `frightening'.
John Miner
e desperation rural families
face in trying to find children's
mental-health services has become
downright "frightening," the chief
executive of the Huron -Perth Cen-
tre for Children and Youth says.
If children need to be admitted to
hospital in Huron and Perth coun-
ties because of mental-health prob-
lems, they are largely wit of luck,
said Terri Sparling.
In addition, there are no child
psychiatrists for the two counties.
Mental-health services for young-
sters in urban areas are scarce
enough; outside cities it's even
worse.
"It is pretty frightening," said
Sparling.
Huron, Perth, Bruce and Grey re-
main the only counties in Ontario
without access to acute in-patient
psychiatric care. It has been that
way since 1971 when facilities were
closed in Goderich.
Some families in the counties
with a child in crisis head to the
nearest hospital emergency de-
partment, only to be told, "We don't
have services for mental health;
go to London," Sparling said. But
when they get to London, "they are
sent home" because local residents
get priority.
According to the Huron -Perth
Centre, last year more than 450
children were seen for mental
health concerns at the eight hospi-
tal emergency departments in the
two counties.
In some acute cases, children have
been admitted to adult units, a so-
lution Sparling calls "horrible."
For children who are turned. away
from hospitals, the burden falls on
their families. -e: -^ , K
"We are then working with that.
family basically to get parents to
take time off work ... , to remove
the knives, to get rid of the pills, to
watch that kid basically until the
crisis is past," Sparling said.
In one case, Sparling said they
were unable to get a youth consid-
ered a danger to herself admitted
to hospital. Her mother was a sin-
gle parent and needed to work.
"We actually had the youth report
to our waiting room every single
day.... We babysat her for three days
until the acute period passed."
The solution that has been pro-
posed for years, but failed to win
provincial approval, is creation of a
three -bed unit at Stratford General
Hospital.
Children and Youth Services Min-
ister Deb Matthews has ordered a
review of children's mental-health
services.
Volunteer hours should be
made tax deductible
From Page 4
But it all evened out. The amount
of free (delicious) roast beef din-
ners (by the Legion Ladies Auxilia-
ry Branch 156) at various functions
that I was fortunate to consume got
me through the strenuous times —
and helped me balloon up to my all-
time heaviest weight of 215 lbs..
As a Londoner now, I could proba-
bly do more volunteering (if I could
find the time). There are a lot of
people out there in both categories
when it comes to volunteering: The
uoers, the non -doers (and the do -
till -you -droppers).
Here's an idea — make volunteer
hours tax deductible just like cash
donations to registered charities.
Then the Canadians who give bil-
lions of volunteer hours a year (yes,
two billion hours according to the
2004 Canada Survey on Giving,
Volunteering and Participating)
can actually be rewarded in real
terms if time is indeed money.
But for some people, the reward
is in the giving.
reprinted from the
Western Alumni Gazette with
1 permission
460
41
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The Huron Expositor • January 14, 2009 Page 7
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