The Nipissing DSSAB claims wait times for mental health and addictions services locally are much longer than elsewhere in the province.
The chair of the agency, Mark King, wants the Ministry of Health to investigate why.
Figures from the Northeast Local Health Integration Network show the wait times are three times longer than the provincial average and for other sectors in Northeastern Ontario.
The numbers show that the wait time for addictions supportive housing is 365 days in Nipissing and only 16 days elsewhere in the northeast.
The provincial average is 60 days.
If a person in Nipissing needs addiction treatment, he or she will have to wait 30 days while others across the province have a wait time of 14 days.
People in need of residential supportive treatment in Nipissing can expect a wait of 270 days while the provincial average for the same service is 30 days.
The DSSAB says some of the longer wait times may be connected to the loss of the North Eastern Ontario Psychiatric Centre which was in North Bay.
King hopes an independent inquiry can get to the root of the problem and help shorten wait times for mental health and addictions patients.
He adds there’s a clear need for effective and timely responses for people in this group.
King says an inquiry would show where the wait time gaps exist and how to fix the problem.
