Niagara Health is commenting following the suicide death of a St.Catharines man shortly after he visited the hospital.
Niagara Health Executive Vice President Linda Boich who oversees Mental Health and Addictions programs tells CKTB they are conducting a review of Tanner Unger's death.
It's been alleged that Unger jumped off the Burgoyne Bridge last Thursday night after leaving the Niagara Health's St.Catharines Hospital.
Unger's friends say he was distraught after a fire destroyed his home.
His friends say he was placed on suicide watch at the hospital, but was released and went straight to the bridge.
Boich says Niagara Health is very sorry to learn of Tanner’s tragic death and extends sympathies to his family and friends.
She says they are conducting a review of Tanner’s care and reaching out to Tanner’s family to hopefully meet with them and answer their questions.
Following Tanner's death inspiring messages of hope have been placed on the Burgoyne Bridge to discourage others from jumping.
The Mayor of St.Catharines has reached out to the region's CAO to see if suicide barriers or netting can be installed on the downtown bridge. Read that story here.
Here is the full statement:
“We are very sorry to learn of Tanner’s tragic death and extend our sympathies to his family and friends for their loss.
We are conducting a review of Tanner’s care. These reviews are an important part of our work to ensure we maintain the highest quality standards of care and determine what can be done differently. Our team is committed to all of our patients, and we do everything we can to help them.
We are reaching out to Tanner’s family and offering to meet with them to answer any of their questions.¬”
- Linda Boich