It seems so simple. So basic of an idea that you wonder why it has not been implemented yet.
It is involuntary care.
As communities across the province grapple with street disorder and a sense of insecurity, involuntary care is seen by many as a solution. Politicians of all stripes have offered it up to concerned residents and businesses as a path forward.
The problem is it is unlikely to be what people are expecting. The expectation is that it will be a panacea; the reality will be quite different.
I believe the evidence is pretty clear that the best method of getting people to achieve long-term self-driven improvements around these issues is offering them health and social care (e.g., wounds, food, shelter, employment info) where they are (eg, using in a safe consumption site, on the street, admitted to emergency or hospital) and building relationships with them, as opposed to temporarily taking away all their decision-making capacity and incarcerating them. Medicalizing the problem is to treat it very superficially and has a revolving door effect on patients, which is costly and associated with worse outcomes. I appreciate the discussion. It’s making me realize that I may want to do more work in this area.