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NEWS RELEASE
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For Immediate Release Nov. 1, 2010 |
Ministry of Health
Services
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B.C. PLAN FOCUSES ON HEALTHY MINDS, HEALTHY PEOPLE
VANCOUVER – The Province today released a 10-year plan to address mental health and substance use with a focus on prevention of problems, early intervention, treatment and sustainability.
“The 10-year plan is a road map to further build on our commitment to improving mental health for all British Columbians and addressing problematic substance use,” said Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon. “Government now spends over $1.3 billion annually – up 47 per cent from 2001 – to address mental health and substance use problems and we need to ensure dollars are aligned with leading practice and best evidence.”
Entitled Healthy Minds, Healthy People, the cross-ministry plan reflects both extensive public and stakeholder consultation and evidence-based research and practice. It is aligned with existing child, youth and adult mental health and substance use strategies across the province, as well as the national mental health framework.
Healthy Minds, Healthy People places a strong emphasis on children and families, based on research that shows that early engagement and access to targeted supports can prevent or reduce mental illness and substance use problems later in life.
“We know that mental health problems frequently originate in childhood, and that early intervention at a young age can help prevent future illness,” said Children and Family Development Minister Mary Polak. “A strong foundation in childhood sets the course for a healthy, fulfilling and productive life. The Ministry of Children and Family Development spends over $100 million annually on a continuum of child and youth mental health services for children up to age 19 and their families.”
The indirect costs of mental illness and/or substance use are also significant. Nationally, mental illness is estimated to cost the Canadian economy around $51 billion annually in lost productivity. B.C.’s proportional share of this burden would be more than $6.6 billion each year. Indirect annual costs of lost productivity related to alcohol use alone are estimated at $1.1 billion.
Healthy Minds, Healthy People acknowledges that mental illness and problematic substance use can affect people of all ages from all walks of life in school, work and at home. Around one in five adults in B.C. are affected by mental health or substance use problems over any twelve-month period. However, the stigma associated with these problems often means people do not seek out and receive the supports and services they need.
“The B.C. plan to address mental health and substance use reaches out to people at home, in school and at work,” said Michael Kirby, chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. “British Columbia’s plan focuses on prevention, early intervention as well as treatment. The commission congratulates the B.C. government for this comprehensive and innovative approach. We are proud to be working together toward the common goal of transforming the mental health system and improving the lives of everyone affected by mental health problems.”
Programs and services that promote maternal and family health and healthy early childhood development are crucial in prevention and early intervention.
As part of the continuum of supports and services to address mental health in children, the FRIENDS For Life program is an example of an evidence-based prevention program that increases resiliency and prevents anxiety available to grades 4, 5 and 7 students. Teachers and parents are educated about the prevalence, signs and impact that anxiety has on children and youth and learn skills to build children’s resilience and address the early signs of anxiety. FRIENDS in B.C. is funded and co-ordinated by the Ministry of Children and Family Development in partnership with school districts around the province.
Since its provincial launch in 2004, all school districts have participated, as well as many independent schools. Over 3,000 educators have been trained to deliver FRIENDS in classrooms, and more than 1,000 parents and caregivers have attended FRIENDS parent workshops – helping to increase mental health literacy in schools, families and communities.
‘The FRIENDS program teaches children how to cope with fears and worries and equips them with tools to help manage difficult situations, now and later in life,” said Jonaire Bowyer-Smyth, a behaviour specialist in the Surrey school district and FRIENDS program trainer. “The FRIENDS program is fun learning for kids and will benefit them, their parents and their entire family.”
The plan will achieve results by realigning current resources to invest in what is proven to work, and linking with existing programs and projects across government to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
“We need to learn from the evidence and provide effective and efficient services to achieve the best outcomes for people,” added Falcon. “We need to stop doing what doesn’t work in favour of what does and to ensure services are evidence-based and cost-effective.”
The Province is focusing on delivering programs more efficiently and effectively, including:
· No waitlists at BC Children’s Hospital Eating Disorders program due to business process redesign.
· Video-conferencing for training and clinical consultation on community Child and Youth Mental Health teams to improve access to evidence-based treatment.
· A project underway to improve patient flow for adult clients with mental health and substance use problems at six Vancouver Coastal Health hospitals.
In addition, projects like the Homelessness Intervention Project and the Prolific Offender pilots show how better integration can enhance services without new dollars.
“Intervention and front-line outreach, to ensure B.C.’s most vulnerable citizens have access to supportive housing, is a crucial element to ending the cycle of challenges associated with mental illness and addictions,” said Social Development Minister Kevin Krueger. “The province has Homelessness Intervention Projects in five communities and 58 Homeless Outreach programs in communities throughout B.C. which have made a tremendous difference in over 770 people’s lives during the first few months of 2010 alone.”
Improvements in addressing mental health and substance use in B.C. include:
· 75 per cent more community beds for adults with mental health problems since 2001 for a total of 8,662 beds.
· Opening the 100-bed Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction to treat those with the most severe mental health and addiction issues.
· 182 per cent increase since 2003 in community beds for people with substance use problems to 2,550;
· Increasing the number of family doctors providing mental health and substance use services from 4,194 in 2001 to 4,574 in 2008-09.
· Being the first province in Western Canada to have dedicated withdrawal management beds for youth – there are currently 39.
· In 2003, B.C. became the first province to establish and then implement a Child and Youth Mental Health Plan that doubled the funding and significantly increased access to an enhanced continuum of services and supports.
Healthy Minds, Healthy People can be downloaded at: www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2010/healthy_minds_healthy_people.pdf.
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Three backgrounders follow.
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Media Contacts: |
Michelle Stewart Communications Director Ministry of Health Services Public Affairs Bureau 250 952-1889 |
Christine Ash Media Relations Ministry of Children and Family Development 250 356-1639 |
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.
BACKGROUNDER 1
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For Immediate Release Nov. 1, 2010 |
Ministry of Health
Services
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MILESTONES FOR ACHIEVEMENT
Milestones will help mark the plan’s progress over the course of the next 10 years. The plan also provides detailed actions and targets for specific population groups. Further milestones, actions and targets will be developed in collaboration with the key partners involved in the plan.
· The number of British Columbians who experience positive mental health will increase by 10 per cent by 2018. In 2008, 68 per cent of British Columbians reported they experienced positive mental health.
· The number of young B.C. children who are vulnerable in terms of social-emotional development will decrease by 15 per cent by 2015. In 2008, 13 per cent of B.C. kindergarten children demonstrated vulnerability related to social competence and 12 per cent demonstrated vulnerability related to emotional maturity.
· By 2014, 10 per cent fewer B.C. students will first use alcohol or cannabis before the age of 15. In 2008, of all students who reported ever drinking alcohol, 75 per cent first tried it before age 15. Of students who reported ever using cannabis, 67 per cent first tried it before age 15.
· The proportion of British Columbians 15 years of age or older who engage in hazardous drinking will be reduced by 10 per cent by 2015. In 2008, 23.1 per cent of British Columbians, aged 15 or more, reported hazardous consumption of alcohol.
· By 2015, the number of British Columbians who receive mental health and substance use assessments and planning interventions by primary care physicians will increase by 20 per cent. In 2008-09, 51,033 people received these services.
· By 2018, through implementation of integrated primary and mental health and substance use services, there will be a 20 per cent reduction in the number of days mental health and substance use patients occupy inpatient beds while waiting for appropriate community resources. In 2008-09, there were 75,838 inpatient days for mental health and substance use patients who no longer required acute care, and who were waiting for appropriate community resources.
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Media Contacts: |
Michelle Stewart Communications Director Ministry of Health Services Public Affairs Bureau 250 952-1889 |
Christine Ash Media Relations Ministry of Children and Family Development 250 356-1639 |
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.
BACKGROUNDER 2
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For Immediate Release Nov. 1, 2010 |
Ministry of Health
Services
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ACTION ON MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE
· Opened the 100-bed Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction in 2008 as a treatment facility that is helping some of BC’s most vulnerable and challenged citizens. The centre is the first of its kind in British Columbia.
· Provided $500,000 for recovery and treatment support for patients at the Baldy Hughes Addiction Treatment Centre, outside of Prince George.
· The Province has committed $138 million of capital funding to build or renovate mental health facilities in communities around British Columbia as part of the Riverview Redevelopment Project. To date, 441 mental health beds have opened across the province with plans being finalized to develop the remaining 402 beds of the Riverview Redevelopment project.
· Opened a $19-million mental health building at BC Children’s and BC Women’s Hospitals serving children and adolescents with serious mental health and substance use issues. The facility also houses a women’s reproductive mental health program.
· Opened 44 transitional, long-term supportive housing beds in 2010 at an annual cost of $3 million on the Riverview grounds to prepare those clients for integration back into their communities.
· We have seen significant improvements – for example:
o The number of adult community mental health beds in B.C. has increased by 64 per cent, with 3,137 new beds since 2001 (from 4,940 beds to 8,077 beds in 2008-09).
o The number of community addictions beds has increased by 205 per cent, with 1,788 new beds since 2003 (from 874 beds in 2003 to 2,662 beds in 2008-09).
o The number of general practitioners providing mental health and addictions services increased from 4,194 in 2001/02 to 4,574 in 2008-09.
o The number of psychiatrists increased from 527 in 2001-02 to 647 in 2008-09.
· B.C. has invested more than $40 million in building the province’s mental health and substance use research and workforce development capacity at University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University (SFU) and University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), as well as specialized centres at the Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health.
· The Community Action Initiative (CAI) was established through a $10-million grant from the Province of British Columbia, announced on June 2008. Through investments in three program streams – Convening, Service Innovation, and Training – the CAI is providing funding opportunities for community groups and organizations to support cross-sectoral activities and projects that improve the mental health of children, youth and adults in British Columbia and reduce harms related to substance use.
· Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams are an evidence-based service delivery that provides long-term, comprehensive services to individuals with severe mental illness who are not well-served by traditional, office-based services. The teams are made up of various health and social care professionals that reach out to clients and are available 24/7 covering a range of services including housing, physical health assessments, income support, employment and crisis planning. With an investment of $7.5 million, there are ACT teams in place in Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver and Prince George.
· Bounce Back: Reclaim Your Health is a $6-million program designed to help adults experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety that may arise from stress or other life circumstances. The project is led by CMHA BC Division and funded by the BC Ministry of Health Services. Bounce Back offers two forms of help. The first is a DVD video providing practical tips on managing mood and healthy living, available in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. The second service available is a guided self-help program with telephone support. The program teaches skills to overcome unhelpful thinking, reduced activities, low socialization and sleep problems, as well as strategies for problem-solving, through the help of a Bounce Back community coach. The guided self-help program is available in English and Cantonese. Access to the guided self-help program requires a doctor's referral. More information is available at: www.cmha.bc.ca/bounceback
· Physician mental health plans are a GPSC mental health program developing collaboratively between the Ministry of Health Services and the BC Medical Association. The $6-million program supports and compensates family physicians for the time and skill it takes to work with patients with mental health illnesses. Physicians develop care plans in collaboration with the patient and their support network and, where needed, become an active member of a broader care team in order to help those patients remain safely in their community.
· Future funding potential through integrated primary and community care and attachment programs and projects.
· Future funding potential through Patient-Focused Funding.
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Media Contacts: |
Michelle Stewart Communications Director Ministry of Health Services Public Affairs Bureau 250 952-1889 |
Christine Ash Media Relations Ministry of Children and Family Development 250 356-1639 |
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.
BACKGROUNDER 3
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For Immediate Release Nov. 1, 2010 |
Ministry of Health
Services
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CONSULTATION SUMMARY
In September 2006, the provincial government launched the year-long Conversation on Health, asking British Columbians to share their ideas on health and B.C.’s public health-care system. More than 6,000 British Columbians participated in the forums held across the province and more than 12,000 submissions were received. Change to better support overall health, including addressing mental health and/or substance use, was a key theme.
The common themes which emerged became the foundation of the public and stakeholder engagement on mental health and substance use system improvement – a key component in developing the 10-year plan.
In 2008, interest groups across the province helped shape directions in this plan through a series of workshops. The plan was further shaped through a broader consultation process with service providers and affected individuals and families in 2009. This included a consultative reference group established through B.C.’s tripartite process to ensure the plan is congruent with Aboriginal perspectives on mental health and well-being, and establishes a foundation for the development of a complementary tripartite Aboriginal plan to address mental health and substance use.
Organizations that participated in the engagement/consultation process for the development of the 10 Year Plan to Address Mental Health and Substance Use include:
Aboriginal Health Services Vancouver
Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC
AIDS Vancouver
Alcohol-Drug Education Service
Alzheimer Association of BC
Anxiety BC
ASK Wellness Centre
Association of Addiction Specialists and Allied Professionals of BC
Association of Substance Abuse Programs of BC
AWAK Women and Children’s Shelter
AXIS Family Resources BC Alliance
BC Ambulance
BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres
BC Association of Clinical Counsellors
BC Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police
BC Association of Social Workers
BC Association of Specialized Victim Assistance and Counselling Programs
BC Business and Economic Roundtable on Mental Health
BC Business Council
BC Chamber of Commerce
BC Children’s Hospital
BC Coalition for Health Promotion
BC College of Family Physicians
BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils
BC Construction Association
BC Council for Families
BC Council on Substance Use
BC Crown Council
BC Government Employees Union
BC Healthy Living Alliance
BC Housing
BC Hydro
BC Institute Against Family Violence
BC Medical Association
BC Mental Health and Addictions Research Network
BC Mental Health and Addictions Services
BC Mental Health Foundation
BC Multicultural Health Service Society
BC Nurses Union
BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information
BC Persons with AIDS Society
BC Principals and Vice-Principals Association
BC Psychiatric Association
BC Psychogeriatric Association
BC Psychologists Association
BC Schizophrenia Society
BC School Counsellors Association
BC School Trustees Association
BC Social Workers’ Association
BC Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse
BC Superintendents Association
BC Teachers’ Federation
BC Union of Psychiatric Nurses
BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre
BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses
Boys and Girls Club of Kamloops
Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (BC)
Canadian Association of Social Workers
Canadian Bar Association BC Branch
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
Canadian Mental Health Association, Kelowna
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Cariboo-Chilcotin School District
Cariboo Friendship Centre
Carrier Sekain Family Services
Central Interior Native Health Centre
Central Oakanagan Regional District
Centre for Addictions Research of BC
Centre for Youth and Society
Child Health Network
Child & Youth Mental Health
Children and Women’s Health Centre of BC
City of Kamloops
City of Prince George
City of Vancouver
Coast Capital Savings
College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC
Community Corrections
Community Legal Assistance Society
Community Living BC
Community Mental Health
Conayt Friendship Centre
Council of Forest Industries
Crossroads Treatment Centre
DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society
Drug Treatment Court of BC
Dual Diagnosis Network
Elizabeth Fry Society
Ending Violence Association of BC
Family Services of Greater Vancouver
FASD Collaboration Roundtables
Federation of Child and Family Services of BC
Federation of Independent School Associations
First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Association
First Nation Chiefs’ Health Council
First Nations Education Steering Committee
First Nations Health Council
First Nations and Inuit Health
First Nations School Associations
First United Church Mission
F.O.R.C.E. Society for Kids Mental Health
Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission
Fraser Health Authority
From Grief to Action
Health Canada
Health Employees Union (Care Aides and Licensed Practical Nurses)
Immigrant Services Society of BC
Infant Development Program of BC
Interior Community Services
Interior Health Authority
Interior Indian Friendship Centre
INTERSECT Youth and Family Services
Jessie’s Hope Society
Jewish Family Service Agency of Vancouver
John Howard Society of BC
Kamloops Brain Injury
Kamloops Family Resource Society
Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre
Kamloops Seniors Village
Keeping the Door Open
Kelowna Health Centre
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Law Society of BC
Lillooet Friendship Centre
London Drugs
Lytton First Nations Health
Lytton First Nations Mental Health Services
Merritt Helping Hands Society
Métis Nation BC
Michael Smith Mental Health and Addictions Research Network
MindBodyLove
Mining BC
Mood Disorders Association of BC
MOSAIC BC
Nenqayni Treatment Centre
New Canadian Clinic, Burnaby and Surrey
New Life Mission
Northern Health Authority
Nursing and Professional Practice, BC Mental Health and Addiction Services
Overlander Extended Care
Pacific Centre Family Services Association
Pacific Immigrant Resources Society
People In Motion
Phoenix Centre
Prince George Native Friendship Centre and Men’s Shelter
Progressive Intercultural Services Society
Provincial Health Services Authority
Prostitutes Education and Employment Resource Society
Providence Farm
Psychosocial Rehabilitation BC
Rain City Housing & Support
Ridgeview (HCC)
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Sage Health Services
Saint Joseph’s General Hospital
School District 73
Scw'exmx Comm Health Services
Simon Fraser University
Small Business BC
Society for Children and Youth of BC
Society of General Practitioners of BC
Solve Homelessness BC
S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
Surrey Memorial Hospital
Teck Cominco
Thompson Nicola Assessment and Referral Service
Three Corners Health Society
Thompson Rivers University – Disability Services
Thompson Rivers University – School of Nursing
Union of British Columbia Municipalities
University of British Columbia School of Nursing
University of Victoria
Urban Native Youth Assoc
Vancouver and Surrey FASD Collaboration Round Table
Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture
Vancouver Board of Education
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
Vancouver Island Health Authority
Vancouver Police Department
Vancouver Refugee Services Alliance
SOS – Settlement Orientation Services and Inland Refugee Society
Vancouver Foundation
Victoria Cool Aid Society
Victoria Native Friendship Centre
Victoria Police Department
WestCoast Alternative Society
White Buffalo Métis Services Society
Worksafe BC
Yellowhead Community Services
YM/YWCA
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Media Contacts: |
Michelle Stewart Communications Director Ministry of Health Services Public Affairs Bureau 250 952-1889 |
Christine Ash Media Relations Ministry of Children and Family Development 250 356-1639 |
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.
