Okanagan leaders renew call for mandatory care measures
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Mayors and First Nations leaders from across the Okanagan have renewed a call for secure and mandatory care for people with complex mental health and addiction issues.
Gathered outside the Okanagan Correctional Facility near Osoyoos on Friday, the local leaders said people facing these challenges cycle through the emergency rooms, shelters and justice system without ever receiving the care they require. The lack of appropriate supports or services for people to get the needed treatment also causes public and personal safety concerns, and puts pressures on the services that are available in communities.
To address these gaps, the local mayors and First Nations representatives have renewed the call of introducing a secure and mandatory care practice at the prison.
“Vernon has been advocating for better access to treatment and care for people experiencing complex mental health and substance-use challenges for years,” Mayor Victor Cumming said in a release, as he was unable to personally attend the event calling for the program.
