Sault Ste Marie Ontario Needs Electroconvulsive Therapy. It is a safe and effective medical tr

  • by: Erika Berhardt
  • recipient: Electroconvulsive Therapy. Is a safe and effective medical treatment for certain psychiatric conditions such as Major Depression Disorder, Bipolar Disorder and some episodes of Schizophrenia, Mania and Delusional Disorders.
    • the cost for these services is getting prohibitive to the taxpayers of Ontario. It is actually costing more for travel expenses than it would be to bring the treatment of Electroconvulsive Therapy to Sault Ste. Marie.

    • In our city there are many more people who would benefit from this treatment, but are unable to access it because there is no one to accompany them; you need a companion to accompany you to each end every appointment.
    • Or it would put their jobs at risk. This means that there could be lives at risk, simply because a treatment is not available here.
    • There are many ways that the Government of Ontario can save money by bringing this form of treatment the city of Sault Ste. Marie. The cost of a machine, I am told is about $15,000.00

    •  I am only one person, and so far it has cost the taxpayers of Ontario almost $20,000.00 to send me out of town.
    • The costs of sending five other people out of town for this treatment could be $100,000.00. That is a minimal figure. And the costs keep mounting.
    • Patients cannot work there is too much travel time involved. companions also cannot have a job because as they have to accompany patient to each appointment. Lost productivity of people who are willing to work is a serious issue, not to mention the lack of self-esteem of not having a jog
    • This treatment can keep patients out of the local psychiatric facility, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. most important to me, this treatment has saved my life!
    • This treatment is unavailable in Sault Ste. Marie, but available in Sudbury, Toronto, North Bay, Thunder bay etc.



The procedure we are trying to get in Sault Ste Marie is Electroconvulsive Therapy. It’s a safe and effective medical treatment for certain psychiatric conditions such as Major Depression Disorder, Bipolar Disorder and some episodes of Schizophrenia, Mania and Delusional Disorders. ECT is safe and works rapidly, making it a primary therapy in situations requiring acute intervention. Another reason to consider ECT is a history of poor response to medications or of adverse effects with medications. I am dedicated to continuing this treatment indefinitely because it is the only thing that has helped me, other forms of treatment have been ineffective.


























              • To get Electroconvulsive Therapy treatment in the city of Sault Ste. Marie. comes at a cost of a machine, I am told is about $15,000.00



















































              •  First, I am only one person, and so far it has cost the taxpayers of Ontario almost $20,000.00 to send me out of town. The costs of sending five other people out of town for this treatment could be $100,000.00. That is a minimal figure. And the costs keep mounting.



















































              •  The costs of sending five other people out of town for this treatment could be $100,000.00. That is a minimal figure. And the costs keep mounting.



















































              • Patients cannot work; there is too much travel time involved. neither can thier companions because they have to accompany the patient to each appointment. Lost productivity of people who are willing to work is a serious issue, not to mention the lack of self-esteem of not having a job.



















































              • Treatment can keep patients out of the local psychiatric facility.saving hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.












<br

Dear Sault Ste Marie Citizens

































I am writing this letter to bring to your attention the
problem of the lack of services for Mental Health care in Sault Ste. Marie. An
estimated 1 in 4 Canadians has a degree of depression serious enough to need
treatment.



































































I have been travelling to Toronto for the past three months,
once every week, to receive a procedure that is not available in our city. The
hardship on me and my family has been extreme!



































































The procedure I am referring to is Electroconvulsive
Therapy. It’s a safe and effective medical treatment for certain psychiatric
conditions such as Major Depression Disorder, Bipolar Disorder and some
episodes of Schizophrenia, Mania and Delusional Disorders. ECT is safe and
works rapidly, making it a primary therapy in situations requiring acute
intervention. Another reason to consider ECT is a history of poor response to
medications or of adverse effects with medications. I am dedicated to
continuing this treatment indefinitely because it is the only thing that has
helped me, other forms of treatment have been ineffective.



































































I have been informed that the treatment will now only be
needed two times a month. As far as I know I will need to travel twice monthly
for the next six months. I have been accepted into the treatment program in
Sudbury, but only once per month, which means that I will still have to travel
to Toronto once per month.



































































This will be for my lifetime. The treatments will always be
needed to remain effective, although it will not be as often later on in the
treatment program.



































































I am thankful that I have been able to access the Northern
Health Travel Grant, and that my wife has been able to accompany me to Toronto
for all these trips for my health care.



































































However I can see that the cost for these services is
getting prohibitive to the taxpayers of Ontario. It is actually costing more
for my travel expenses than it would be to bring the treatment of
Electroconvulsive Therapy to Sault Ste. Marie. And I am only one person
accessing this form of health care. In our city there are many more people who
would benefit from this treatment, but are unable to access it because there is
no one to accompany them; you need a companion to accompany you to each end
every appointment. Or it would put their jobs at risk. This means that there
could be lives at risk, simply because a treatment is not available here.



































































There are many ways that the Government of Ontario can save
money by bringing this form of treatment the city of Sault Ste. Marie. The cost
of a machine, I am told is about $15,000.00



































































First, I am only one person, and so far it has cost the
taxpayers of Ontario almost $20,000.00 to send me out of town. The costs of
sending five other people out of town for this treatment could be $100,000.00.
That is a minimal figure. And the costs keep mounting.



































































Second, I cannot work; there is too much travel time
involved. My wife also cannot have a job because she has to accompany me to
each appointment. Lost productivity of people who are willing to work is a
serious issue, not to mention the lack of self-esteem of not having a job.



































































Third, this treatment can keep patients out of the local
psychiatric facility, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.



































































Fourth, and most important to me, this treatment has saved
my life!



































































There is a doctor here in Sault Ste. Marie who has training
in this procedure, who may willing to take on the responsibility.



































































Please respond in writing as to why this treatment is
unavailable in Sault Ste. Marie, but available in Sudbury, Toronto, North Bay,
Thunder bay etc.

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.