For mental health advocates and providers and the thousands of people in the province who rely on supports, the capacity to provide healing and comfort is always at the top of mind. For those trying to meet the challenge of service provision in rural Saskatchewan, the efforts for recognition and funding are ongoing. 

Mayor Michael Behiel of Humboldt is numbered among those champions who want to see additional resources, whether provincial, federal or private, directed toward supports in underserved rural areas. To that end, Behiel has been in touch with the provincial Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Everett Hindley. During the course of his contact, Behiel expressed concern with what he perceived as a growing need for expertise and resources in the region. 

“We’re not exempt from it (mental health and addictions issues), and the fact that they’re choosing to focus all the attention on largely urban centres and ignore the rural really didn’t sit well with me,” explains Behiel, “Especially given that the rural represents half the province.”

Mental health and addictions support services are provided by two professionals at the Humboldt and District Health Care Complex and through staff at Partners Family Services, a private not for profit organization in Humboldt. It’s recognized that those people and agencies provide high level and critical services and care for those in need, but in Behiel’s estimation, it’s nowhere close enough to providing for a growing population with a burgeoning need. 

“When you have a population of 6,000 people and probably 30,000 rural, the ability to provide that kind of service in today’s, and I’ll use the term epidemic for these issues, does not even scratch the service.”

The hospital, with the support of the Humboldt and District Hospital Foundation, introduced a set of three rooms to serve as safe crisis suites in the event of someone’s safety being compromised by mental health or addictions issues. The problem, Behiel says, is a need for fully trained personnel to provide sustained care in the facilities. 

“We need to have further resources in place out here, especially in a crisis situation. While we do have private agencies to help respond to these things, even their ability is stretched to the max,” says Behiel. “We’re just not getting the support to continue to provide those services effectively.”

After weeks of no response from the Minister’s office and exchanges with MLA and Deputy Premier Donna Harpauer, Behiel did receive a letter from Minister Hindley. In his letter, the Minister outlined the services currently being provided through the SHA, the partnership funding with partners, and the general increase in spending for mental health and addictions along with suicide prevention. The Minister noted that the government is working to secure private pharmacy agreements in Humboldt for the delivery of naloxone kits. 

“We find that it is common for people to leave their home community to access services either through necessity or preference to remove themselves from negative influences,” said Hindley in his letter to the Mayor. “Despite this, we understand that travel is difficult for some individuals and that distance may be a barrier, so we continue to work toward equitable treatment across the province.”

Behiel expressed a degree of disappointment that there were no apparent avenues for further dialogue offered and no indication of impending changes.

“Initially when I read the letter, I felt it was, for lack of a better term, a great political answer. It covered the bases politically and politely, but it really doesn’t address any type of action plan or what they hope to do to achieve any kind of benefit or service for any of the issues we were raising.”

A proposed agreement with a private nursing home in Humboldt for space to house those who required support was being worked on earlier in the month, but that arrangement has since fallen through. One of the challenges acknowledged by both service providers and government is recruiting qualified mental health and addictions caregivers to rural areas. 

The Mayor continues his advocacy, along with a group of similarly concerned mayors and civic officials, through SUMA. The City of Humboldt is working alongside its public and private health care partners to create a listing of resources, both online and face-to-face, that people can currently access. 

In the meantime, the Mayor commits to continuing pressure and dialogue with service and funding partners to improve what’s available to all rural residents in terms of mental health care.