Mental Health and Substance Use

Many divisions around the province are working with partners in their communities on projects to support the care of patients with mental health and substance use issues. Through this work, a wide range of materials have been created for patients and physicians, including emotional wellness handouts, resource lists, presentations, referral forms, and lists of signs and symptoms that can help patients (or their friends and family) identify when they might need help.

Twenty-five divisions are also engaged in projects focused on MHSU for children and youth in partnership with Local Action Teams of the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use (CYMHSU) Collaborative– a provincial initiative supported by the Joint Collaborative Committees of Doctors of BC and the BC government.

In addition, the Practice Support Program (PSP) offers two physician-led group training sessions to help doctors provide mental health care. 

To learn more about what divisions are doing to support patients with mental health and substance use issues, click the links below. For information specific to opioids, see the provincial Pain Management and Opioid Prescribing page.

 

Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use (CYMHSU) Collaborative resources

Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Collaborative overview
The CYMHSU Collaborative first started in the Interior Health region in June 2013 with eight Local Action Teams. By the end of the initiative, the Collaborative had grown province-wide to include the involvement of more than 2,600 people with 64 established Local Action Teams and 11 Working Groups.
Collaborative Toolbox 
A one-stop shop for many of the tools and resources created, tried, and tested by the Collaborative since 2013, including toolkits, handouts, posters, consent forms, ER protocols, learning modules, and more.
Legacy magazine
Tells the story of the Collaborative – how it grew from a small initiative in the interior in the Spring of 2013 to encompass communities in all five health regions today.

 

Patient resources

Burnaby
Central Okanagan
Comox Valley
Cowichan Valley
Kootenay Boundary
North Shore
Rural and Remote, Salt Spring Island Chapter
Sea to Sky
South Island
Thompson Region
Victoria
White Rock-South Surrey


 

Physician resources

Central Okanagan
Langley
North Shore
Rural and Remote
Rural and Remote, Salt Spring Island Chapter
Sea to Sky
Shuswap North Okanagan 
Thompson Region

Victoria

 

Facilities

Abbotsford: Youth Health Centre
Chilliwack: Youth Health Centre
Mission: Rapid Access Clinic
North Shore: HealthConnection Clinic
Ridge Meadows: Youth Wellness Centre
South Okanagan Similkameen: Martin Street Outreach Centre

 

Provincial and non-division resources

Fraser Health video: Moments to Milestones: Engaging with People who use Substances
Children's Hospital: Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
Ministry of Children and Family Development: Child and Youth Mental Health Intake Clinics for Families in the Greater Victoria Area.

 

FPSC fee codes and other supports 

Doctors can access mental health and substance use support through FPSC fee incentives. These include:

Mental Health Incentives (April 2017)

Attachment Initiative Incentives (2017)
Includes FPSC fee code G14074 – GP Unattached Complex/High Needs Patient Attachment Fee: Compensates for the time, intensity, and complexity of integrating a new patient with high needs, including mental health and/or substance use patients, into a family physician’s practice.

 

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