Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Westholm, thank you so much for coming. We talked about the recommended tracking for Veterans Affairs clients. One of the challenges we've heard is that there are those who refuse further contact. This is a challenge that I have had in a medical career. I've been an emergency physician for 20 years. I've noticed that it a big challenge with patients with mental health issues. They need help, but they might have such severe mental health issues that they don't know where to turn. They feel frustrated. They disappear. If we see a chart from a psychiatrist's office, and there are three “Did Not Attend“ notations, followed by “Loss to Follow-up,” that usually means homeless or deceased.
Of course, there's the separate medical system for veterans. They're also part of the general provincial health system. What do you think is needed in provincial mental health systems in particular to help them at least alert Veterans Affairs or to somehow get tracking these veterans who, as I say, may have refused further contact but might need help due to mental illness?