$800,000 FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN B.C.

The Province is providing $800,000 to the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division to launch a new two-year pilot project with the following goals:

· To provide direct support to individuals with mental illness to access PWD (persons with disability designation) and PPMB (persons with persistent multiple barriers) benefits.

· To help individuals with mental illness to access health-care services and to provide the necessary medical services to maintain and enhance their health.

· To support individuals in the development of stronger personal support networks, which in turn may assist them in their community participation and in securing and/or maintaining housing, employment and volunteer opportunities.

· To work in partnership with PLAN (Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network) to train and support local staff to be network facilitators.

Five branches under the CMHA BC are participating in the pilot program:

· Kelowna

· Kootenays (Cranbrook, Kimberly and area)

· North and West Vancouver

· Williams Lake and 100 Mile House

· Prince George

At each branch site, a community navigator will work with the homeless outreach worker, or the outreach worker from a collaborating agency, to identify individuals who may meet the requirements of PPBM/PWD designations.

The community navigator will liaise with the local health authority to establish a pool of doctors and/or nurse practitioners to help people in applying for higher levels of support, work with local Employment and Income Assistance staff in processing applications, assist individuals in personal goal-setting and facilitate the expansion of an individual’s personal support network.

Through this two-year project, CHMA staff hope to gain an understanding of the impact of personal support networks on an individual’s health and community participation and consider policy implications as a result of knowledge learned from the pilot.

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Contact:

Seumas Gordon, Media Relations,

Ministry of Housing and Social Development, 250 387-6490

Jennifer Quan, Communications, CMHA,

1 800 555-8222

604 688-3234




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