“Mom, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m not going to die.” Those were the words of 15-year-old Squamish resident, Steffanie Lawrence, 24 hours before she died from an accidental drug overdose in January 2018, just after being released from Lions Gate Hospital.
Her mom, Brenda Doherty, believes that if she had been able to place her in treatment, her daughter would still be alive today.
In February 2018, I re-introduced the Safe Care Act in the B.C. Legislature as a private member’s bill. Since then, 20 youth have died from drug overdoses. The Safe Care Act allows for vulnerable children and youth whose situation places them or others at risk, to be placed within a treatment facility that can respond to their trauma and high risk of harm.
Last week, Doherty spoke out about the Patient Care Quality Review Board’s decision into her daughter Steffanie’s case, which determined all actions by medical staff were followed in accordance with current policy.
Those policies allowed for Steffanie to be discharged and given bus fare to Vancouver away from her support network in Squamish without notifying her parents.
The system is not serving addicted children, youth, and their families and John Horgan and the NDP need to do more to help those struggling with mental illnesses and addiction.
Continuing to put more money into harm reduction services, including replacement therapies and drug testing kits, may help save lives today but fails to break the cycle of addiction.
Modernizing policies to include a safety net ensures that when all else has failed for a child, they are not led back into addiction. We need a system that empowers parents and physicians to get kids the help they need and to a point where the patients end up in a position to help themselves and end the cycle of addiction that can have such tragic consequences.
Just recently at the inquest into the death of Elliot Eurchuk, a Victoria teen who died of a lethal overdose in 2018, his parents stated they had hoped the recommendations included secure care for youth with severe substance use disorders. “Parents need to get access to their vulnerable children’s health care,” Eurchuk’s father said.
The Review Board’s response, plus the recent recommendations of Elliot Eurchuk’s parents during the inquest into his death, pin-point the need for parents to be informed about their child’s circumstances.
Children who are addicted should not be assumed to be making the best decisions for their own health. I say it’s time for the NDP to finally refocus on treatment and recovery – ensuring a continuum of care – and bring forth the Safe Care Act. For the sake of Steffanie, Elliot, and all British Columbians, I sure hope they do.
Jane Thornthwaite
MLA, North Vancouver-Seymour
Critic for Mental Health and Addictions
