NEW GLASGOW
Robbie Weatherbee wants the provincial government to be burdened with a stack of paperwork this fall that could change the delivery of mental health services.
The New Glasgow resident is one of several people currently circulating a petition that calls for things to change in the mental health system sooner than later.
The petition asks the provincial government to request a formal, independent inquiry into the original hiring process of directors and senior directors from the time the Nova Scotia Health Authority was created 3 1/2 years ago to present day. It also asks that Nova Scotia Health Minister Randy Delorey hold accountable the NSHA to place the best interests of the public, in terms of wait times, above all other considerations in such hiring processes.
“One of the provincial government’s mandates when it was elected was to lower wait times and it has not done this,” said Weatherbee who is a member of the #HowManyNSHA-IWK advocacy group that is calling for changes to mental health care in the province. “So, we are a group pushing this petition as a way to hold the Nova Scotia government accountable for a broken system and not making necessary changes. This is not about funding. It is about a broken system.”
Weatherbee has been vocal about changes needed in the mental health system since she lost her son-in-law to suicide more than a year ago. She recently told his story in a provincial news conference with Pictou West MLA Karla MacFarlane where the #HowMany group announced it was launching its petition.
“The NSHA’s reoccurring pattern of sending home suicidal people has to stop. The government needs to hold NSHA responsible for the services it is not providing. We, the taxpayers, are paying the NSHA bureaucrats to do this job and they are failing, and there is no accountability. They do not recognize that a suicidal person needs urgent care, no different than any other health crisis. They should be providing medical stability.”
Weatherbee said recent stories in the media about people who have looked for help but didn’t receive it promptly are indications that something has to change.
She said she knows from the death of her son-in-law how losing a loved one to suicide is devastating to a family and the loss to society is immeasurable.
“Suicide prevention is possible with the right help. That’s why we are asking for this inquiry. We need the people at the top of the health authority to be hired with evidence that they are capable of fixing this system.”
The petition is being be spread across the province in hopes of collecting enough signatures that the provincial government will see the need for such an inquiry. She said more volunteers are needed to obtain signatures and they don’t need to be members of #HowMany in order to get the message out. It will be presented to the Nova Scotia legislature this fall.
“This is a way that anyone out there can help,” she said. “They can bring change about by holding people accountable. We can’t keep talking about it. We need action and action will come when we are holding our government responsible.”
Anyone interested in helping to distribute the petition or signing it can contact Robbie Weatherbee through Facebook messenger or by emailing howmanynsha\[email protected]m
