Cameron's Story

For years, he struggled with his mental health. We supported him as best we could, monitoring his ups and downs, but one day he did not show up to work. His supervisor called me, and my heart sank.  I raced home terrified of what I might find. He was motionless in his bed with a number of bottles of pills lined up next to him. He hadn’t taken any yet, but it was clear that he had been planning to. We acted quickly, calling the mental health crisis line, who urged us to take him to the emergency room.  As a hospital employee he did not want his co-workers to see him there. We reached out to his supervisors who encouraged him to take some time off and contact EAP. We arranged for a psychologist. He was off work for 6 weeks and we thought he was doing better. We were grateful that work was supporting him.

Cameron carried the hurts of the world on his shoulders. He left our home in the middle of the night and accessed his place of work. His swipe card had not been deactivated while he was off on known mental health leave. He entered the hospital pharmacy department and obtained a very high potency medication that would end his life. Then, like the diligent employee he was he locked up the pharmacy and left.

Our family began advocating for the implementation of a security system that would ensure employees that go off work for short-term or long-term leave are flagged and their access is temporarily deactivated. The rate of employees struggling with mental health is at an all-time high and will continue to increase during these times of uncertainty and economic hardship. Employees need to be kept safe. They need to be given a chance. If my son had been unsuccessful in using his still active ID, he would have come home that morning. We will never know if that could have given him more time to decide to live. Our family is fractured. I do not want another family destroyed due to an active ID. Please temporarily suspend access when an employee is off. I think it is so important to share Cameron’s story so that we can help leaders and organizations put safety measures in place. Mental health concerns are very high in the healthcare profession and will only continue to rise. Employees need to be kept safe. It won’t bring my son home, but it may bring your child home safely.

For more information about opioid safety, visit www.opioidstewardship.ca