Waiting list too long for mentally ill youth: Eastern Health
19.11.2008 17:33
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
 Eastern Health's Colleen Simms on waiting lists for mentally ill youth: 'None of us feel comfortable with that.'(CBC) Eastern Health admits there are gaps in services for Newfoundland and Labrador teens who are depressed, suicidal or feeling lost in the health-care system. Teenagers and children needing to see a psychologist are waiting six to seven months for help. "None of us feel comfortable with that," said Colleen Simms, director for mental health and addictions at St. John's-based Eastern Health, which manages hospitals and clinics in eastern Newfoundland. "It's our top priority this year, to be looking at wait lists for children and youth." Simms said Eastern Health has asked the Newfoundland and Labrador government for more psychologists and other staff. Last month, mothers of two severely ill teenagers told CBC News that their daughters would likely have to be treated outside the province because services were not available. As well, they said their children have spent months in the psychiatric unit of the Janeway Child Health Centre in St. John's without the programs they need. Centralized intakeSimms said Eastern Health has a proposal before the government for funding to address those issues "in the form of occupational therapy, recreational therapy and also increased nursing staff." Next week, Eastern Health will launch a new service that should solve some problems: a centralized intake for wait lists. "There'll just be one number that you can call, so that will help us manage and [prioritize] things better," Simms said in an interview. A centralized intake system would mean that children, for instance, would not find themselves on one wait list for a psychologist and another for a social worker. The intake system, though, will only apply to Eastern Health's area and not the rest of the province. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal Links'I am actually afraid of myself': Teen pleads for more servicesDistraught mothers decry lack of N.L. services for suicidal teensIN DEPTH: Depression: An illness, not a weaknessVideo Chris O'Neill-Yates reports: Waiting list too long for mentally ill youth: Eastern Health (Runs: 2:11)Play: QuickTime »Play: Real Media »Health HeadlinesLead contamination levels drop in Canadians : StatsCanLead levels in the blood of Canadians have dropped dramatically over the last 30 years.Antibiotics disrupt gut longer than previously thought, study shows The common antibiotic ciprofloxacin disrupts normal bacterial levels in the digestive tract of healthy adults for six months, longer than previously thought, study suggests. Kids, teens chugging 20% of daily calories: StatsCanWater is the drink of choice for most Canadians but children and teens are sipping a significant proportion of their daily calories, Statistics Canada suggested in a report released Wednesday.Ginkgo no help for preventing Alzheimer's: studyThe herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not help prevent dementia or Alzheimer's disease among healthy elderly people or those with mild cognitive impairment, suggests a study released Tuesday.U.S. opens overseas office in Beijing to ensure food, product safetyU.S. officials opened the first overseas Food and Drug Administration office in Beijing on Wednesday as they gear up for a long battle to ensure the quality of food, drug and feed imports from China. Health FeaturesVIDEOTooth decayChronic, infectious childhood disease? (5:53)YOUR STORYMedical ConditionsHOCKEYConcussionsHow to handle hockey's head casesYOUR INTERVIEWPesticides and cancerFind out moreFOODNutritionThe skinny on sugars and sweetenersWEEKLY CHECKUPBody checkingIs there a good time to introduce it to kids' hockey?People who read this also read …
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