The Acting Medical Officer of Health has added his two cents after two police interactions involving armed people suffering serious mental illnesses.
One of those interactions ended with a 70-year-old man dead. Just over a week ago, Windsor Police officers attempted to subdue a man armed with a machete at the corner of Ouellette Avenue and Wyandotte Street. When tasing him didn't work, officers resorted to lethal force.
The Special Investigations Unit continues to investigate the shooting.
The Special Investigations Unit investigating a scene in downtown Windsor, March 21, 2018. (Photo by Maureen Revait)
It's reminiscent of a similar incident more than four years ago. Police officers shot a 33-year-old man who threatened people with a butcher block of knives. An inquest into that death begins on September 12.
The second incident was this week and blocks away. That one ended peacefully.
Doctor Shanker Nesathurai was careful to say his comments come from 30 years of experience as a doctor and do not reflect the policies of the Windsor Essex County Health Unit.
"I would hazard to say that if you went to the hospital, you had a heart attack, that we would expect to be seen by a cardiologist," he said.
He said Ontario has a crisis of access to mental healthcare.
"You've asked a question boldly. The response is bold," said Nesathurai. "Many people have a serious psychiatric illness and can't get in to see a psychiatrist. Many children have serious mental health issues and can't get in to see a child psychiatrist."
Nesathurai blamed a list of factors. There aren't enough mental health workers. The ones we have are disproportionately distributed in large urban centres. The system needs to re-examine if it's prioritizing the people who need help the most. There's a stigma against mental health, and then there's the cost.
"I think we have to think about how to expand access to non-physician services. OHIP pays for the psychiatrist. Funding for non-physician clinicians is not as robust, and I think that's an area of opportunity," he explained.
Windsor-Essex Acting Medical Officer of Health Doctor Shanker Nesathurai. IPhoto from YouTube update on September 16, 2021)
When patients do find services, they often languish on a lengthy waiting list, deteriorating in the meantime.
"The waiting lists are completely unacceptable," asserted Nesathurai. "Without access, patients can't get care. I think this is something that has been ignored for a long time."
According to the CEO of the Windsor-Essex Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Sonia Grbevski said wait times vary.
"For immediate assistance, there is no wait time," said Grbevski. "That's where we determine if an individual needs treatment, and that can vary. Waiting lists can be anything from a few days to several months."
She suggested the most severe the illness, the more difficult it may be to access care.
"For the most part, when we're looking at intensive-type therapies, we do require an expansion in those areas," she said.
Nesathurai is the second high-profile official in Windsor to speak out about mental healthcare delivery. Acting Police Chief Jason Bellaire expressed his frustration on Wednesday.
"We need a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week place where we can drop them off that is not an emergency room," he said.
He told WindsorNewsToday.ca that taking the lead on mental health calls is not something the Windsor Police Service is funded for and said the service might review its partnerships, possibly cutting ties with those that are less effective.
