A men's mental health group based in Ste Anne is advocating for increased mental health resources, after one of its members waited for more than 30 hours in a local emergency room (ER).
Ryan Pasieczka, a co-founder of the Southeast Men's Group, says the member admitted himself to the ER around 6 p.m. in late March with suicidal thoughts and auditory hallucinations.
"He reached out to the group around midnight. I thought he was going to leave, so I came down and sat with him, and we waited to see a doctor," he says.
It wasn't until around 10 a.m. Saturday morning that the member was able to get a bed, and until that night to see a doctor "just to be heard," Pasieczka says.
"He was turned back to come the next day, and he sat there that whole day to finally see a psychiatric nurse and to come up with a plan," he says.
While Pasieczka is glad the member stuck around to get the help he needed, he believes it could have ended much worse.
"A big thing is, if you're having suicidal thoughts, to be sat in a corner for hours on end is not the right way about it," he says, adding it accentuates the feeling that no one cares.
The need for more mental health resources
Jeremy Wiens, the other co-founder of the men's group, says they are doing their best to shed light on the need for increased mental health resources.
"I know they're trying to figure this out, and there's reasons with doctor shortages too, right, and we understand that," he says.
"But we don't want something bad to happen in order for it to finally get the attention it needs. We want to be ahead of it, and not reactive, right?"
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Pasieczka and Wiens have both expressed difficulties in their own mental health journeys, particularly living in rural Manitoba.
In a letter, they explain even when services were made available, "they were limited in both availability, length, and comprehensiveness of services."
The pair say they will be reaching out to the province, Southern Health-Santé Sud, among other resources in order to advocate for change.
Southern Health-Santé Sud offers a list of mental health resources on its website, including various crisis lines.
Pasieczka and Wiens encourage men in the southeast to seek out their group for support as well, noting it's free to attend.
The next meeting is on April 15 at 7 p.m. at the A&J Fiola boardroom in the Town of Ste Anne.
Response from health authorities
Southern Health-Santé Sud did not provide comment to the incident involving the men's group member, in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection Privacy Act.
It did comment on the availability of community mental health services, which it says are provided based on an individual's assessed needs.
"The length of access to treatment is determined based on what services the client needs in review with their clinician. These needs may change and in many cases an individual may be referred to a different clinician or program to better meet their needs," it says.
The health authority also directed to the Mental Health Act.
SteinbachOnline reached out to the province for comment, but did not hear back by publishing.
An update on the Southeast Men's Group
Wiens and Pasieczka say the Southeast Men's Group continues to grow, as with support for it.
"A lot of people keep reaching out, and that's something I think we both feel about as we get messages like, 'When's the next one?' and 'How do we get involved in?'" Wiens says. "It's just great to see."
In addition to that, donations have covered the cost of the room they are renting for the group.
"We don't know where they come from, but they come to us," Wiens says. "We're encouraged by that."
Pasieczka says he is inspired by every group meeting he attends.
"It's almost like an outer body experience for me. I'm sitting there and I'm seeing guys just come together and talk about stuff that matters, and realize that it's OK not to be OK, and we don't have to suffer in silence," he says.
"I'm very happy with how it's going and I'm excited to see what the future holds for us."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Manitoba Suicide Prevention and Support Line at 1-877-435-7170, or calling or texting the Suicide Crisis Helpline at 9-8-8.
Written with files from Judy Peters