Help for Shanelle
Donation protected
Kwe’/Hello/bonjour, my name is Annie Clair.
I have started this go fund me page for my 24-year-old daughter Shanelle. For the past few weeks, we have battled through systemic discrimination towards addicts and indigenous peoples within our public health system.
My daughter was supposed to be admitted for a month into a psychiatric ward due to an episode of drug induced psychosis. The medical team had a meeting with my daughter and I saying they would keep her for one month only to change their minds two days later. She was released on a Friday night with two bottles of anti-psychotic pills that clearly state that suicidal tendencies are a side effect. She was released with a discharge or plan for continuum. I was not informed until she was discharged that night.
She was released in hospital slippers, shorts and T-shirt and given a slip for a taxi to the closest homeless shelter. My sister and my friend who is a recovery coach and I searched the streets of Moncton until midnight before we found Shanelle. I tried to keep her with me, but within 4-5 days, my daughter had relapsed and was again in full psychosis. Addiction is a mental health issue, not a lack of will power or moral deficiency.
Shocked by the treatment of my daughter, my friend decided to escort Shanelle to the hospital and advocate that she remain in care until a bed for rehabilitation opens.
It was the first time my daughter asked the professionals at the hospital for help and said that she wanted to go to treatment. The quick response to her request was, “You can’t go to rehab in Miramichi because it’s closed,” Shanelle wasn’t offered any other explanation or options. When a person says they are ready for help, service must be expediated especially in cases of mental health and addiction; this is not the standard of New Brunswick public health.
Through this process, we learned that all First Nation rehabs in Canada are closed until the fall and that provincial rehabs have no beds.
Everyone keeps saying sorry there’s no help right now because of Covid, but that’s not true! Hope Recovery Coaching was able to find an amazing private non-profit organization that offers proven treatment methods combined with a culturally sensitive approach in association with local elders so she can learn from them and heal with them to prepare to come back to our home community. They are on standby and have a bed ready for Shanelle but indigenous affairs doesn’t have an agreement with this centre and will not cover the monthly admission fee. Medicare’s process for requesting out of province service if lofty and does not take into consideration, the urgency of treatment. Our federal and provincial authorities responsible for mental health and addictions are putting a price on my daughter’s life. How things are being handled is borderline people brokering (when treatment is based on affiliations and money versus what is needed for a person’s welfare), this is inhumane and has to stop!
These amazing people in British Colombia are willing to take her in anytime and have offered a reduced rate to help us. We’ve been told that there is no help in the province for her and all indigenous rehabs are closed and that response is being accepted by our province, healthcare professionals and our community! Isn’t it our right to receive healthcare in our province? If services aren’t available, isn’t Medicare obligated to pay to go out of province? Why doesn’t anyone help us with this and guide us to make this easy?
On average, it costs $1000/a day per patient to treat mental health and addiction in New Brunswick. This high quality, culturally aware treatment centre can offer 2 months of treatment for the price it would cost our province to help her for 15 days! Why is the province so fixed on avoiding available resources and spending more money than necessary?
Instead we get, “Sorry it’s just how it is,” that’s not ok. My daughter ended up in even worse shape and we had to put pressure for her to be re-admitted, we were told at emergency by the first point of contact nurse, “Hey we can’t keep all meth addicts.” That’s not ok for a health professional to say and that mentality is part of the problem; my daughter wants help and is being treated like her life doesn’t matter.
I’m asking for everyone’s help to save my daughter. With the love and kindness of the community and people we can make a difference in her life and show her that her life does matter. Maybe this can help invoke change in our province. We will know there is real change when treatment of people becomes equitable, compassionate, selfless, caring and loving.
Again, this is urgent, please pass it along and donate anything you can. Think of this way, sacrificing a coffee a day for a month is roughly $60.00 and can save a life. That’s just to put things into perspective, feel free to donate more or less, anything helps.
Wela’lin/ Thank You/ Merci’
Annie and Shanelle
I pray May the creator help your family & friends in return of your kind hearts for your donations that he keeps your families & children safe and in good health protect you.
I have started this go fund me page for my 24-year-old daughter Shanelle. For the past few weeks, we have battled through systemic discrimination towards addicts and indigenous peoples within our public health system.
My daughter was supposed to be admitted for a month into a psychiatric ward due to an episode of drug induced psychosis. The medical team had a meeting with my daughter and I saying they would keep her for one month only to change their minds two days later. She was released on a Friday night with two bottles of anti-psychotic pills that clearly state that suicidal tendencies are a side effect. She was released with a discharge or plan for continuum. I was not informed until she was discharged that night.
She was released in hospital slippers, shorts and T-shirt and given a slip for a taxi to the closest homeless shelter. My sister and my friend who is a recovery coach and I searched the streets of Moncton until midnight before we found Shanelle. I tried to keep her with me, but within 4-5 days, my daughter had relapsed and was again in full psychosis. Addiction is a mental health issue, not a lack of will power or moral deficiency.
Shocked by the treatment of my daughter, my friend decided to escort Shanelle to the hospital and advocate that she remain in care until a bed for rehabilitation opens.
It was the first time my daughter asked the professionals at the hospital for help and said that she wanted to go to treatment. The quick response to her request was, “You can’t go to rehab in Miramichi because it’s closed,” Shanelle wasn’t offered any other explanation or options. When a person says they are ready for help, service must be expediated especially in cases of mental health and addiction; this is not the standard of New Brunswick public health.
Through this process, we learned that all First Nation rehabs in Canada are closed until the fall and that provincial rehabs have no beds.
Everyone keeps saying sorry there’s no help right now because of Covid, but that’s not true! Hope Recovery Coaching was able to find an amazing private non-profit organization that offers proven treatment methods combined with a culturally sensitive approach in association with local elders so she can learn from them and heal with them to prepare to come back to our home community. They are on standby and have a bed ready for Shanelle but indigenous affairs doesn’t have an agreement with this centre and will not cover the monthly admission fee. Medicare’s process for requesting out of province service if lofty and does not take into consideration, the urgency of treatment. Our federal and provincial authorities responsible for mental health and addictions are putting a price on my daughter’s life. How things are being handled is borderline people brokering (when treatment is based on affiliations and money versus what is needed for a person’s welfare), this is inhumane and has to stop!
These amazing people in British Colombia are willing to take her in anytime and have offered a reduced rate to help us. We’ve been told that there is no help in the province for her and all indigenous rehabs are closed and that response is being accepted by our province, healthcare professionals and our community! Isn’t it our right to receive healthcare in our province? If services aren’t available, isn’t Medicare obligated to pay to go out of province? Why doesn’t anyone help us with this and guide us to make this easy?
On average, it costs $1000/a day per patient to treat mental health and addiction in New Brunswick. This high quality, culturally aware treatment centre can offer 2 months of treatment for the price it would cost our province to help her for 15 days! Why is the province so fixed on avoiding available resources and spending more money than necessary?
Instead we get, “Sorry it’s just how it is,” that’s not ok. My daughter ended up in even worse shape and we had to put pressure for her to be re-admitted, we were told at emergency by the first point of contact nurse, “Hey we can’t keep all meth addicts.” That’s not ok for a health professional to say and that mentality is part of the problem; my daughter wants help and is being treated like her life doesn’t matter.
I’m asking for everyone’s help to save my daughter. With the love and kindness of the community and people we can make a difference in her life and show her that her life does matter. Maybe this can help invoke change in our province. We will know there is real change when treatment of people becomes equitable, compassionate, selfless, caring and loving.
Again, this is urgent, please pass it along and donate anything you can. Think of this way, sacrificing a coffee a day for a month is roughly $60.00 and can save a life. That’s just to put things into perspective, feel free to donate more or less, anything helps.
Wela’lin/ Thank You/ Merci’
Annie and Shanelle
I pray May the creator help your family & friends in return of your kind hearts for your donations that he keeps your families & children safe and in good health protect you.
Organizer
Annie Claire
Organizer
Big Cove, NB