By Nigel Maxwell

Working group aims to roll out unique program in P.A.

Mar 4, 2016 | 4:57 AM

A small group of local community leaders wants to bring a program that has been started in Regina to Prince Albert.

The OSI-CAN initiative is a peer support group for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Chris Siddons, from Regina, is the coordinator of the program and was invited to attend the first working group meeting in Prince Albert on Thursday, March 3.

“Canada has lost ten people to suicides this year, eight being first responders and two being veterans and it’s only March,” he said.

Siddons knows all too well the impact of war.  He worked two tours in Northern Ireland and one in the Gulf War.  Upon returning home in 1996, he knew something inside wasn’t right but he ignored it, because he was a ‘tough soldier.’

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In August 2014, Siddons made the decision to walk into a hospital in Regina.

“I said I’m a veteran and there’s something wrong with me and I need to be fixed.  Someone needs to fix me or I’m going to go outside and fix myself,” Siddons said.

Within half an hour, Siddons was diagnosed with PTSD.  He then spent two weeks in in-patient care.

The following Thanksgiving, Siddons attempted to commit suicide for the first time. It was the first of two tries.

He has since found a more positive path.  He volunteers with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, as part of a patient advisory committee. 

“This initiative was set up because a business owner wanted to donate $25,000 to PTSD in Saskatchewan,” he said.

The group decided the best course of action to reach the greatest number of people would be to form a peer support group for people suffering from PTSD.

The group will hold its first meeting in Regina this weekend but Siddons is hoping to expand the program to every major city in the province including Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert.

Siddons said there is a big advantage to having someone talk to a peer about what they are going through..

“I can talk to a guy with PTSD and he will listen or she will listen to me because I understand,” he said.

The working group in Prince Albert is now currently seeking a permanent location to hold their meetings.

nmaxwell@panow.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell