Mental Health and Substance Use Resources

CYMHSU Collaborative

The Collaborative is made up of children, youth and their families, Aboriginal people, ministries, health authorities, schools, physicians, clinicians and communities. The purpose of the Collaborative is to share our knowledge and experience with the aim:

• To increase the number of children, youth and their families receiving timely access to integrated mental health and substance use services and supports throughout the province.
• To document examples and results of the involvement of children, youth and families in decisions related to program and system design, clinical practice and policy development, which manifest the ‘family-first, people-centred’ goals of Healthy Minds, Healthy People.

The Comox Valley collaborative team has supported the availability of resources for Family Physicians: 

• CYMHSU Doctors' Referral Matrix - online
• CYMHSU Parenting Support Resource - online
• CYMHSU Doctors' Referral Matrix and Parenting Support Resources - printable (combined)
• CYMHSU Resource Prescription Pad - printable
• Orientation Guide - To child, youth, & family mental health and substance use services. To ​use the Orientation Guide effectively, read these tips from parents.​

Other ​useful resources are available on the CV Division public website and listed here: 

• Collaborative Toolbox - A 'one stop shop' for child and youth MHSU tools and resources.
• FamilyStart (formerly the F.O.R.C.E. - Society for Kids' Mental Health)
• Valley Child - Online Home of the Comox Valley Early Years Centre
• ​Kelty Mental Health - Child and youth resource center​.
• CYMHSU Resources - Series of modules feature information on eating disorders diagnosis, management, and treatment presented by a team of eating disorders experts from BC Children's Hospital. Module One introduces the series with a personal story shared by youth, Rylee McKinley, and her mother Terri, on their family's journey with anorexia. 
• Perinatal MHSU Referral - Perinatal Mental Health & Substance Use: Primary Care Provider (PCP) Referral Matrix
• Fern Clinic (Comox Valley) Referral - Referral for Unplanned Pregnancy 

For more information about the Collaborative and what was achieved:

• CYMHSU Collaborative Bi-Annual Report - August 2016

The Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use (CYMHSU) Collaborative is funded by the Shared Care Committee in partnership with the General Practice Services and Specialist Services Committees; all are Joint Collaborative Committees of Doctors of BC and the BC government. 

Physician Forum on the Opioid Crisis

A forum for physicians about the Opioid Crisis was held on April 17, 2018 in Campbell River. The ​topics covered included an overview of the provincial impact, a summary of findings ​from BCCS Death Review Panel on illicit overdoses, and the local context of the opioid crisis. The presentation is provided by clicking here.

A summary of the community-specific conversations is ​available here. A plan is underway for follow up conversations on this important topic this fall.   

BC Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Guideline

New provincial guidelines are now in effect and available here: Guideline for the Clinical Management of Opioid Use Disorder.

Visit the BCCSU website for additional information. 

Safe Opioid Practices Information

Opioid drugs offer significant relief for some patients suffering from chronic pain. However, they are not without risks, such as dependency with long-term use. There is also a market for opioids as street drugs, where they can pose potentially fatal harm when taken by someone other than the patient whose pain they were intended to treat. 

Through the Division, family doctors in the Comox Valley ​worked with community representatives and local RCMP to establish and apply a standardized approach to safe opioid practices to help ensure these medications are used only as prescribed.

• Safe Opioid Prescribing Algorithm

• CV Prescribing Algorithm, Resources, and Tools - Full document or individual sections below:
  • Pain Management Resources - Patient Handout
  • Goals and Hazards of Opioid Therapy - Patient Handout
  • Pain Management Resources - for Physicians
  • CV Nursing Centre Pain Clinic - Referral Form
  • Opioid Treatment Agreement 
  • Random Urine Drug Screening
  • Support for Withdrawal and Wean-Down Management
  • Sample Misuse Letter (from RCMP)
  • Red, Yellow Flags (from PSP)
  • Pain Relief Inventory (from PSP)
  • Pain Disability Index (from PSP)
  • Goals Decided with Patient sample (from PSP)
  • Opioid Risk Tool (from PSP)
  • Aberrant Drug Related Behaviour (from PSP)

Comox Valley Intensive Case Management Team (ICMT)

ICMT is an inter-disciplinary, outreach team that practices from a harm reduction, strengths-based philosophy and provides individual care to adults who are actively using substances. ICMT respects and acknowledges personal differences and promotes a focus on the assets and abilities of the person and their environment.
 
The ICMT in the Comox Valley is focused on providing services to people who are:

• 19 years of age;
• Experiencing moderate to severe impacts in their daily functioning due to substance use;
• Experience multiple barriers related to housing, poverty, accessing health, and appropriate services; and
• May have regularly involvement with emergency services including the legal system

People partnering with ICMT require more intensive services than are available in the traditional mental health and substance use system of care.

• ICMT Referral Form - 2018
• ICMT Overview, Mission and Vision

CMHA Best Practice Resources on Information Sharing

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) BC Division has provided a set of best practice resources on information sharing. These resources have been developed in response to services providers and families’ requests for information supporting improved understanding and application of BC’s privacy legislation for practitioners, individuals and families that access the mental health and substance use system of care. 

The intent of these guides is to function as reference tools that service providers can consult not only to comply with relevant legislation and policies, but also to feel empowered to share information appropriately in a timely way across service providers to enhance continuity of care with family and families. In addition to the best practice guides, specific fact sheets have been developed to support people with lived experience, families and service providers in knowing their rights to information, understanding requests for information, disclosure of personal health information and consent, and finding other resources and information they may need. 

The resources are as follows:

• Information Sharing in the Context of Mental Health and Substance Use in BC
• Information Sharing in the Context of Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use in BC
• Best Practices for Service Providers: Privacy and Information Sharing
• Information Sharing for Young People
• Privacy for Parents and Caregivers