All MLAs should receive suicide intervention training, says backbencher

Liberal backbench MLA Bush Dumville says he plans to enrol in a suicide intervention training program offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association, and he's recommending each of his 26 colleagues in the Legislative Assembly do the same.

Dumville was one of several MLAs to receive a briefing Tuesday from the CMHA on its efforts to prepare a suicide prevention strategy for the province.

That's when he spoke about a constituent who reached out to him recently in a moment of crisis.

'This person was screaming for help'

Dumville said he arranged to meet the person at a local coffee shop, where he heard the person had attempted suicide multiple times. Dumville was left with the impression another attempt could be imminent.

"I'm not a trained professional," Dumville told the committee, explaining his predicament. "[I] didn't want to do damage. I wanted to help. This person was screaming for help … I didn't hardly know what to do."

Dumville said he knew enough from his background as an RCMP officer to give the person his complete, undivided attention, and not to look at his watch during the conversation.

After the meeting, Dumville said he "contacted the Department [of Health] immediately and asked them to send a professional out to intervene."

"A lot of the community, they reach out to police, they reach out to clergy, but they also reach out to MLAs," said Dumville. "The MLA is a natural person to ask, 'How do I get help?' but I don't feel qualified or trained in that regard."

There's a course for that

CMHA has a course to help people in situations similar to Dumville's — a two-day program called Asist (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training).

"That is the standard of care, that is the gold standard for suicide prevention," Pat Doyle told the committee. Doyle is suicide prevention co-ordinator for the CMHA on P.E.I.

She described the program as "suicide first aid" that's provided both to professionals like police officers and social workers, as well as lay people.

"It tells the caregiver what they have to do to create safety for now, to keep that person safe so you don't have to second-guess yourself," she said. "It builds confidence and it prepares people to be ready to respond so there's no hesitation."

Dumville hopes to be able to enrol in the program the next time it's offered, in October. PC MLA Brad Trivers said he also would like to sign up for the course.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Ottawa boosts P.E.I.'s child care budget
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Government keeps watch on latest entangled right whale off Gaspé Peninsula