(Quebec) Minister Lionel Carmant believes it is realistic to offer psychological health care throughout Quebec through CLSCs. For the moment, however, the citizens of a city like Amqui, hard hit by Monday’s deadly attack, must go to Rimouski to obtain psychiatric care.
“We are well aware that there are issues in the regions to have access to mental health services, and we are working very hard to improve them,” said the Minister responsible for Social Services in a scrum on Thursday.
He was reacting to an article by Soleilwhich reported that a citizen of Amqui must travel 103 kilometres, or 1 hour and 15 minutes, to have access to psychiatric care in Rimouski, where the majority of mental health services are offered in eastern Lower -Saint Laurent.
Quebec set up a crisis unit in the village following the killings, and mental health workers were dispatched to the scene. But in normal times, citizens must take to the road.
Telemedicine and CLSC
Mr. Carmant emphasizes that telemedicine in mental health is a “widely used tool” that he wishes to “use more and more”. He also added, following a question from a journalist, that it is “feasible” to provide health care in every village.
“In mental health, it is achievable. There are CLSCs everywhere. I am working with my parliamentary assistant Shirley Dorismond to restart mental health in the CLSCs, ”he said.
“When FMGs [groupes de médecine de famille] were created, social workers were unfortunately sent to FMGs. We have to get services back in the CLSCs and we are working on that,” he added.
At the beginning of the month, Mr. Carmant gave the mandate to the member for Marie-Victorin, Ms.me Dorismond, to “work to consolidate the role of CLSCs in access to front-line mental health services”. Its mission is to “highlight initiatives, good practices and innovative operating methods implemented in CLSCs to promote better access to mental health services”.