It's no secret that children and teenagers have been dealing with quite severe concerns with mental health, and that the health care industry can have many flaws when it comes to this sort of thing. It's time to do something about this.

The Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, an eight bed mental health facility for youth ages twelve to seventeen, is located in the Kelowna General Hospital. Eight beds, one location, and thousands of teenagers in crisis across the Interior Health region. Along with the fact that this facility only manages youth with concerns of self-harm, suicide, and mood. This unit, however, doesn't offer help with substance abuse, disordered eating, conduct disorders, or behavioural disorders. 

Imagine being on the brink of taking your own life, having tried several times to do just that, and getting a referral to the one unit of the region that offers inpatient treatment for what you're struggling with, and having to wait three to six months for a spot to open up, and possibly having to travel five hours away from home for treatment. 

That's what's happening with the healthcare system and our youth, every single day. The waitlist for this unit is months long, and if we continue like this, the waitlist will grow and people will continue to suffer. A person on this waitlist may have a referral in by the eleventh of February, 2025, and will properly be admitted in June, making it a four month wait.

By signing this petition, you are supporting today's youth in their fight with mental health and suicide.