Hasty medical leaves and lack of communication with patients and their loved ones during treatment: this is what the government criticizes in particular for a request for class action brought on behalf of the parents and heirs of people who committed suicide in Quebec, since January 2019. It will be filed in court on Tuesday, learned The duty.
The motion will be presented to the Superior Court on behalf of two people whose loved one committed suicide as well as the Association Québécoise des Eneuillés du Suicide. It targets all of the CISSSs and CIUSSSs in the province, which have the obligation “to ensure the accessibility, continuity and quality of services”, can we read in the document. However, this has “not been the case” for people who have committed suicide for three and a half years in the province, we write.
The Attorney General of Quebec is also affected by the motion, since he is responsible for overseeing the supply of care and services provided in health establishments and for ensuring the effectiveness of suicide prevention policies, explain to To have to Me Philippe Larochelle, who piloted the file. “A mission that he failed to execute”, according to the document.
Me Larochelle intends to prove that “the fault runs through all the suicides that have taken place in Quebec [depuis janvier 2019] where we can see that with simple measures, with preventive measures, with better coordination, these [morts]to a large extent could have been prevented”. The lack of communication and collaboration of the healthcare teams with the families of suicidal people and the lack of follow-up are among the shortcomings mentioned by the lawyer.
“All the same story”
Josée Bilodeau, the class action representative, is the sister of Suzie Aubé. The latter committed suicide on January 18, 2019, after having obtained the same day her leave from the University Institute in Mental Health of Quebec (IUSMQ). She suffered from a mental health disorder and alcohol addiction.
The day before her death, Suzie Aubé had been arrested for impaired driving while on leave to prepare for her return home. She was taken back to IUSMQ, where she had been treated the previous days. Mme Aubé got his leave the next day, without the relatives being notified in order to put in place an adequate security plan, deplores his sister Josée Bilodeau, in an interview with The duty.
After the death of her sister, Mr.me Bilodeau came into contact with other people bereaved by the suicide of a loved one. “I realized that we all had the same story,” says the 57-year-old woman. The Quebec City resident has therefore decided to initiate a class action to demand better treatment for suicidal people.
Compensation is demanded for “all the relatives and heirs of people who committed suicide [au Québec] since January 1, 2019, as heirs and on a personal basis”, can we read in the request. An amount of $10,000 is claimed for the deceased person’s estate, as well as an amount of $20,000 intended for relatives to compensate them for what they have experienced.
An “electroshock” in society
For meme Bilodeau, the energy to bring a collective action comes to him from his sister. “It was really a warrior, a fighter,” she breathes, tears in her eyes. Separations, moves and financial problems: Suzie Aubé had a “difficult life”, she notes.
With this recourse, Josée Bilodeau wishes for better treatments, in particular for those who suffer from both a mental health disorder and alcoholism. Prejudices persist, even among health professionals, she laments. “Addiction issues are still seen today as moral weakness or bad habits. While it is a disease that is recognized. »
The death of M.me Aubé was one of five suicides investigated by Coroner Me Julie-Kim Godin as part of her investigation into suicide and its prevention, which ended last June. The coroner has yet to release her findings.
For mee Larochelle, this collective action is intended to be “an electroshock” in society. Suicide is often associated with mental health issues, he points out. However, treatments in this area are “the poor relation of the Quebec health system,” he says. “Unfortunately, we are not succeeding in effectively tackling the problem of suicide. »
The duty will contact the CISSSs and CIUSSSs of the province, as well as the Attorney General of Quebec in the next few hours to collect their comments on this request filed Tuesday morning.