Suicide rate in northern girls 26 times higher, a part of psychiatric crisis
Indigenous girls in northern Saskatchewan take their own lives at 26 times the rate of their southern counterparts and they have been relying on services in Prince Albert, said Carla Beck of the NDP.
Those services will soon be on hold, however, as the lone child psychiatrist leaves the job not even two years after starting.
“It was a huge issue before the pandemic, and it has only gotten worse throughout. This is a huge concern that those families, those young people won’t be able to access care closer to home,” said Beck.
SHA officials said that two child and youth psychiatric positions are currently funded for Prince Albert, which also serves the entire north. They were staffed for many years until one doctor retired and another passed away.