Bob Bromley

I assume that holds for how long the program has been going too. Jurisdictions that have had this, as I mentioned in a Member’s statement several days ago and I profiled the advances and benefits that have been achieved with programs like this, I am wondering have we an evaluation program in place. If we do, when can we get the results on that and, if not, can we get that in place? I think, again, possibly this is our single biggest opportunity for savings and gains in both lives and consequences. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lee.

I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. Obviously this is not something you want to see continue.

Mr. Speaker, this leads us to the issue of outpatient readmission, recognizing again the complexity. I know patients who are released, only to immediately go to a return of their drug and alcohol abuse, which are core elements of their mental health illness. Then when requests are made for readmission it’s refused, because substance abuse is deemed to be a behavioural problem requiring referral of the patient to alcohol and drug counselling and treatment. If patients were sufficiently ill in...

Thank you, Ms. Meade. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Clarifying comments there. Anything further, Minister Lee?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement on mental health issues and pose questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services.

My first question deals with patients being released from the Stanton Territorial Hospital’s mental health unit. Mental health unit staff sometimes make it a condition of release that the released patient stay at the Centre for Northern Families, presuming that there are skills and capacity at the CNF to meet the special needs of mental health outpatients. Yet the Centre for Northern Families has only hard-won experience with these...

Thank you, Yakeleya. Minister Lee.

Thank you, committee. We are returning to page 8-29. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. I will give the opportunity to the Minister to respond to that.