BC Conservative MLA Gavin Dew is pitching a legislative proposal which would see brain injuries recognized within the Mental Health Act, after B.C.’s chief scientific advisor for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders Dr. Daniel Vigo’s recent comments suggested harm reduction policies have failed some people with brain injuries.
Dew told CFAX 1070’s Ryan Price his Brain Injury Support Act was inspired by what he described as an epidemic of unsafety in the province. Although the risk of brain injuries acquired through overdoses was top of mind, the legislation also aims to make care easier to access for anyone with an acquired brain injury.
“Some of that is law and order, some of that is care, and a lot of it requires thinking through all of the different little incremental changes that make it possible for us to implement a full spectrum approach to care and enforcement, that will actually clean up this problem in the right and compassionate and fair way,” he said.
He said the change would see mental disorder in the act to also include an acquired brain injury which significantly impairs judgement, emotional regulation or behavioural control—whether or not there is a concurrent psychiatric diagnosis. The proposed change would aim to make it easier for people to access beds in involuntary care facilities.
“We're not changing anything in terms of expanding state authority or anything that would be inappropriate. All we're doing here is creating clarity around definitions so that individuals who have suffered from these brain injuries can get into the care that they need, and at the same time, get off of the streets where they're exposed to drugs,” Dew added.
He said this change would not only have implications for involuntary care, but for those seeking voluntary care as well, by creating a clear definition which aims to end any exclusion of people with brain injuries from care they need.