Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thought I heard a couple of questions in there. The assisted community treatment, we do hear what the Member is saying and what the other Members have said and there will be many assisted community treatments ordered in the community at a Yellowknife and regional level. We also believe, with our current resources, and it will all be on a case-by-case basis, depending on the individual’s condition. If an individual is relatively stable, or stable and requiring meds, and wants to go back to their home community, we can actually set that up today with a community health nurse, where that person would have to report to the community health nurse on any given day in order to receive their meds. Those types of things we can do and we should be able to do right away. We also have community counsellors who will be able to work on the individuals based on a plan of care that may have been established with a psychiatrist or psychologist at Stanton. So today we could provide some level of act. But we do hear you and acknowledge that as we roll this out, we may find that it’s taken up more time or resources than anticipated, which is why I’ve previously indicated we’re going to monitor, and continually monitor, to determine demand and usage so that we can seek resources where appropriate in the future. But we do hear you loud and clear and it will be something that is going to be monitored.
With respect to lack of culture, I have concurred with all the motions that I feel, and I believe committee feels, will help improve this bill and bring back some of the culture components that may have inadvertently been removed or excluded as a result of the drafting, and I think we have a better bill as a result of that.
The Member mentions a youth mental health strategy and I’d like to just take this opportunity really quickly to indicate that I’m pleased to announce that I have received the final report of the Mental Health Quality Assurance Case Review on October 1st. As Members will recall, I directed this case review back in the late spring in the wake of the death of a young Yellowknifer who had been a patient in our mental health system.
The work of the review committee got underway in June 2015 and has been carried through to completion with the original timeline I committed. I’m pleased to share that it is a very comprehensive report and I believe it will serve to guide to move the health and social services system forward in ensuring improved care for our residents and families impacted by mental health. To be really clear, so we get it out there, the report contains five major recommendations and 11 supporting recommendations for a total of 16, all of which will be addressed in the form of an action plan which I have committed to the Members and to the public previously. This action plan will be done in January. Originally I was hoping we would have it done sooner, but given the magnitude of the recommendations, we want to make sure that we get it right and the department has indicated they need until January to prepare that action plan. That action plan, all the recommendations within the committee report, all the research that has been done over the last couple of years plus future public consultations and discussions will inform the youth mental health strategy that will be developed in the 18th Assembly, that I assume will be developed in the 18th Assembly. I’ve already directed the department to begin the preliminary work so that they’re ready to move forward with that strategy, if it is the wish of the 18th Assembly and I anticipate that it will, given the amount of interest that exists throughout the Northwest Territories in this particular area. It will also inform the development of a more generic or sort of adult- based strategy as well.
So, we are moving forward. We will, absolutely, take into consideration the recommendations of the report and input from future committees of this House.