Inquest jury makes recommendations after teen denied help at Fredericton hospital
CBC
A coroner's jury has made 10 recommendations to try to prevent deaths similar to Lexi Daken's.
The 16-year-old Fredericton-area girl died by suicide within days of days of being turned away from the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in February 2021.
Testimony at the inquest into Daken's death wrapped up Wednesday morning, and the jury of three women and two men began deliberations before noon.
By 3 p.m., they returned with their recommendations.
They began by endorsing 12 recommendations made by the Horizon Health Network in March 2021 after an internal review of Lexi's death, then added 10 of their own.
Much of the focus is on better public education about mental health resources, including making the information more readily available to the public, using brochures to help with communication.
On Wednesday afternoon, Lexi's father, Chris Daken, said he's relieved the process is over and hopes that Horizon Health continues to make improvements to how mental health care is delivered.
He said his goal all along has been to ensure that no other family experiences what his has.
"It's never really over. I still lost a child but I'm happy this process is done and some recommendations have been made and hopefully more changes can be made and we don't have to be going through this in another two or three years for another child."
Lexi Daken was a Grade 10 student at Leo Hayes High School in Fredericton. She was a gifted athlete and a high achiever academically.
But once COVID hit, without sports, social activities and only going to school every other day, Lexi's mental health began to falter, her father, Chris Daken, testified on Tuesday.
He said he didn't realize how much she struggled until she tried to take her own life in November 2020.
On Feb. 18, 2021, a guidance counsellor at her school noticed a deterioration in Lexi's mental health and took her to the emergency department of the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital at lunchtime. She wasn't seen by an emergency room doctor until about 7:20 p.m.
After talking with the doctor and waiting for the results of blood tests, the doctor returned around 9 p.m. and asked if Lexi would "contract" with her — to make a promise not to hurt herself — and be safe at home.
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