Mental health: “We need more help”
The Mayor of Sherbrooke, Steve Lussier
Share November 2, 2020 3:00 am Updated at 7:00 am Share Mental health: “We need more help”
Sabrina Lavoie La Tribune Shaken by the tragic events that unfolded Saturday night in Quebec, the mayor of Sherbrooke Steve Lussier implores additional government assistance in mental health.
“There is a growing number of people struggling with mental health problems here in Sherbrooke and everywhere else in Quebec. Requests will certainly be made for additional help from the government. No one wants this type of incident to happen in their city, ”says Steve Lussier, offering his condolences to those directly or indirectly affected by the tragedy.
The mayor of Sherbrooke, however, says he is relieved to be able to count on a psychosocial intervention team which makes it possible to direct the people concerned to the right places. “It's an advantage that we have unlike other cities,” he believes.
“However, the drama experienced in Quebec last night has led us to review our priorities. We must help each other and we must go further in our efforts to deal with mental health issues. “
Asked about the progress of the file concerning the opening of a day center in mental health in the region, Mayor Lussier assures that he wants to accelerate the pace. “We absolutely need this center in Sherbrooke,” he says.
The mayor also admits having discussed this issue earlier this week with the Sherbrooke Police Service (SPS), which has noticed a growing number of interventions related to mental health disorders, and has been for years.
“Mental health represents a major challenge for our police officers who unfortunately respond to calls to this effect every week. I assured the director of the SPS, Danny McConnell, that I will be present to represent him before government authorities and ask for additional help, ”says Lussier.
For its part, the SPS does not wish to comment on the events at this time. “We offer our full cooperation to the Service de police de Québec (SPVQ) and share our support for the police officers who had to intervene during these events which were both tragic and extremely violent,” we say. of press release.
“We will not comment on this situation, leaving the SPVQ to clarify the facts of its unfortunate events. “
