Petition for better emergency mental health care for BC kids

Amanda Wawryk and Denise Wong

VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – A family on Vancouver Island is calling for more emergency mental health care for kids across the province.
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition, calling on our health minister to close what it calls a serious gap in critical care.
The petition was started Owen Bradley and his wife Kelly of Victoria. They are the parents of an 11-year-old girl who suffers from bi-polar disorder.
Owen says their daughter was sent home from hospital several times, despite being in obvious and violent mental distress.
“After initial intake, there’s not really a comprehensive plan for dealing with a child in a mental health crisis. There’s just the initial emergency intake… they do some testing, and then basically, you’re released,” he tells us.
He explains they want the province to more mental health services for young children.
“The goal is to provide a comprehensive plan for children in mental health crisis that follows through from emergency intake and treatment and into the next step of whatever treatment is most appropriate.” Click here to read on.