Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will follow up from my Member’s statement with questions on mental health from our mental health theme day. I will take up the challenge on the Mental Health First Aid the Minister alluded to and I’d like to find out more information on when that would happen.
The first question I have is: Does the Minister have the wait times to see a mental health and addictions counsellor in the Hay River area? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I answer the question, I just want to take this opportunity to thank the Members for undertaking this theme day. One of the key actions within the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan, one of the key priority areas is to actually promote the understanding, awareness and acceptance of mental health in the Northwest Territories. It’s forums like this and Members asking questions that it starts to increase the awareness of mental health in the Northwest Territories. So I applaud them for taking it upon themselves to do the theme day on mental health and addictions.
To the Member’s question specifically, and I will just preface it by saying once again that wait times are for non-urgent clients and that clients with urgent needs are seen within 24 hours or immediately, given that we have the expedited referral process. If somebody acknowledges within themselves that it’s time for them to go to treatment, there are ways to get that information in so we can get them out immediately. So, please, in your newsletters, share this information as you move forward so they know how to access that program.
According to my records, the wait times in Hay River range anywhere from three to four months, which is excessive, obviously, but we will work with Hay River and the other authorities to see how we can shorten these wait times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The information I get, too, is immediate action is being dealt with. We have a 1-800 number. We have people dealing with the emergency situations. The Minister indicated three to four months.
Is the Minister willing to commit to a standard level where you should be able to see a counsellor within 30 days or 45 days? Can we set a standard level that you should be able to see a counsellor within 30 days or 45 days. Can we set a standard and try to meet that goal?
I’m not prepared to commit to a standard today. We’d have to do some analysis and research to see what would be reasonable. I will say that throughout the Northwest Territories the wait times do vary. For instance, in Yellowknife it’s two to three months for counselling, two months for adult psychiatry and it could be two or three months for child and youth psychiatry, and these are for non-urgent issues. In the Sahtu, in Tulita it’s two months. In Deline it’s, surprisingly, turned out to be about two weeks; Colville Lake, one month. In the Deh Cho, Fort Providence is about three weeks, Fort Liard is one week and Fort Simpson is one week. In the Tlicho there is currently no wait list. In the Beaufort-Delta, in Inuvik, up to six weeks. In Fort Smith it’s anywhere from two to three months for a counsellor and three weeks for a community wellness worker. As I’ve already indicated, Hay River is three to four months.
There is some variety there. I’ve asked the department to look into some of the reasons why that variety exists, and I’ll share that information with the Member and committee when it’s done so that we can have a more informed discussion.
As the Minister indicated, this is a strong issue, but I think we need to improve. I think we need to set that standard of what we have to a minimum amount. I think where it’s needed we need to put the financial backing towards it.
My question is: Would the Minister approve overtime or additional counselling to get areas like Hay River that are three to four months away when we have some regions that only have two weeks or sometimes there isn’t a wait list? Is there a way that we can deal with this immediate situation of the three to four month wait lists?
As we move forward, actually, to one health and social services system here in the Northwest Territories, we’ll be able to balance out some of these peaks and lows in different communities throughout the Northwest Territories because we’ll be able to share resources and professionals as needed to meet increasing demands in one area where there may not be demands in another area.
As far as committing additional resources and approving overtime, that often happens already in many situations where there are urgent issues. But I will commit to continuing to look into this issue and share the information that we gather with Members so that we can make informed decisions as we move forward.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess my question is twofold in the fact that Hay River would not be immediately a part of the one health board, and I’d hate to be criticized for not being before our committee discussion. I guess my question is: Three to four months wait list that we have in Hay River. It’s the longest wait list. Will the Minister commit to solving this issue, allowing some overtime or bringing in additional counsellors to Hay River?
It’s too early to say whether Hay River is going to roll into this new authority immediately or whether it’s going to be transitioned over time. We are doing that work and I’m certainly happy to have continued discussions with the Member on that. In the meantime, I will work with the public administrator in Hay River and have the department work with the CEO to see how we can reduce some of the wait time in Hay River.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
