Twice in one week, followed by another trip 3 weeks later, I walked into an Ontario emergency room in the middle of a mental health
crisis. All three times, I sat alone in a room for over five hours. Thrice, I was sent home.

My name is Michael Uzenko. I am 24 years old, a recent McMaster University graduate, and a healthcare worker. For the past five years I have been living with Depression, Social Anxiety, and Panic Disorder. Earlier this year, things escalated to a place I never expected. I experienced
suicidal thoughts, something I share not because it is easy to say, but because staying silent is exactly what makes this problem worse. Men especially are taught not to speak up. That silence is costing lives. I could have been one of those lives. I am still struggling. Some days are harder than others. But when I was sitting in that ER room, scared and alone and waiting for help that did not come, I made a decision: I want to try to make a change.

The Issue

My experience is not unique. It is a window into the barriers thousands of Ontarians face every time they reach out for urgent mental health support. Ontario has committed $3.8 billion over ten years through its Roadmap to Wellness to improve mental health and addictions care. That commitment matters. But for people arriving at an ER in crisis right now, the gaps are real and they are serious. Through my own experience at two different Hamilton hospitals, I have identified three urgent issues:

1) Fragmented access: When you are in crisis, you do not always know where to go. I ended up in an ER because I did not know what else to do. That confusion should not be something a person in crisis has to navigate alone.

2) Wait times and inadequate capacity: ERs are not designed for mental health crises, and right now they are the last resort for too many people. Waiting five hours in an unsanitary, frightening room, with no check-ins, only to have a brief conversation and be sent on your way, is not care. It can make things worse.

3) Inconsistent support: My three ER visits were at two different Hamilton hospitals. The level of support at each was completely different. No one in crisis should receive care that depends on which door they happened to walk through.

What I Am Asking For

I am asking Minister of Health Sylvia Jones to meet with me, hear my experience directly, and
commit to a clear action plan to address Ontario's mental health crisis response. Specifically, I
am advocating for:

● A more proactive, individualized mental health triage process in Ontario ERs

● Investment in specialized mental health staffing so support is available around the clock,
not just at peak hours

● Safer, more appropriate crisis environments in hospitals

● Clearer pathways that distinguish mental health crises from addiction crises, because
they are not the same

● Long-term strategies to support, train, and retain the healthcare workers on the front
lines of this crisis

Why I Am Doing This

I studied Political Science at McMaster because I believe in the power of policy to change people's lives. I have not had my chance to contribute to that yet. This petition is my start. I am also running Hamilton's Around the Bay 10K and the Toronto Half Marathon this spring in
support of CMHA Toronto. I have Degenerative Disc Disease, which makes running painful. I am doing it anyway. I want to show people in situations like mine that you can still move forward, even when it is hard. Believe me, I know how hard it is to want to do something and feel like you cannot.

I am not doing this for myself. I am doing this for the person sitting in that ER room right now, waiting, wondering if anyone is coming. I hope this petition is one small part of the answer. If you or a loved one would like to share your own experience to help drive meaningful mental
health policy change in Ontario, you can reach me at uzenkm@gmail.com.