A couple from Kindersley is calling for shorter wait times for people in a mental health crisis.
Yvonne and Jonathan Sattelmeier wrote a letter to the Ministry of Health urging better access for mental health help, following a “frustrating experience” at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital.
Their 27-year-old daughter, Courtney, had been battling with mental health issues, addictions and homelessness for years. Earlier this month, Courtney finally called her parents, asking for help.
“I thought we were going to get somewhere,” Yvonne Sattelmeier said.
The Sattelmeiers didn’t get the help they were looking for.
After waiting for an hour at RUH’s emergency department, Courtney was admitted and transferred to the Dubé Centre for Mental Health. The family waited another four hours at the Dubé Centre, waiting to be seen by a doctor.
By 3 a.m., Courtney had a psychotic episode and signed herself out – going back to the streets of Saskatoon.
“If the wait times were less, we probably would have gotten help,” Yvonne Sattelmeier said.
“It’s disappointing, heartbreaking. You think help is right there, but it’s not,” Jonathan Sattelmeier added.
The couple said because their daughter didn’t have a physically visible injury, her emergency wasn’t taken seriously.
“I think mental health gets pushed off to the side … and I’m losing hope for [Courtney],” Yvonne Sattelmeier said.
A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Health Authority said it can’t comment on specific cases, but its priority is to get emergency patients the appropriate care.
An adult emergency department is set to open at Saskatoon’s new children’s hospital. At the new facility, there will be more than 25 private assessment rooms.
“Patients who are triaged with emergent mental health concerns may be treated in one of these private, calming spaces. They will also have 24-hour access to mental health professionals, such as a psychiatric liaison nurse,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to CTV News.
The new facility, which the Sattelmeiers are hopeful for, opens in the fall.
