North Vancouver-area MLAs joined with members of the community today to celebrate the launch of Foundry North Shore, a new integrated youth service centre.

Foundry will bring existing services under one roof so families and young people can access a one-stop shop for primary care, mental health, substance use and social services. The centre, for youth between the ages of 12 and 24 years, is hosted by Vancouver Coastal Health and is expected to be fully operational and accepting clients by late spring 2017.

Foundry North Shore is one of the five centres announced in June 2016, as part of a provincial network of easily accessible youth service centres hosted by local organizations. The other Foundry centres will be located in Prince George, Kelowna, Campbell River and Abbotsford.

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These new sites build on the success of St. Paul’s Granville Youth Health Centre in Vancouver. This model focuses on earlier therapeutic interventions, when mental-health problems are just emerging. Intervening early can help to prevent challenges with mental health and substance use from becoming more serious.

Services at Foundry will be offered by interdisciplinary teams, which may include physicians, nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, mental-health and substance-use clinicians, youth and family peer support and navigation workers, youth and guardianship workers, income assistance and supported employment service workers, outreach workers, LGBTQ+ support and navigation, Aboriginal child service social workers and other Aboriginal service providers.

The Ministry of Health provided $3 million to the InnerChange Foundation in March 2015 to develop the centres. The North Shore centre is supported by partner funding from Vancouver Coastal Health, which is contributing $2.5 million annually to its operation.

Further investments to the centres include a $1.5-million investment from the Graham Boeckh Foundation, and commitments from InnerChange Foundation and St. Paul’s Foundation to each fundraise $1.5 million. The Ministry of Children and Family Development is providing significant support for resources in each of the centres. The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research will be providing $800,000 toward evaluation and research.

The new health and social-service centres add to existing provincial supports to address the needs of young people living with substance use issues and/or mental illness. Some of these services include:

• Community-based child and youth mental-health services, as well as help for anxiety by giving children tools to cope with anxiety and stress through the school-based FRIENDS program.
• An online service map, launched in 2015, which helps families find information about the child and youth mental-health and substance-use services in their community.
• The F.O.R.C.E. Society, which works to connect families with the support systems, services or programs that may help children and families deal with mental-health challenges, supported by $850,000 from government.
• A new 10-bed inpatient unit at the HOpe Centre will open in spring 2017 and provide specialized, intensive services for youth aged 13 to 18 years who are living with mental-health and substance-use challenges.
• Specialized mental-health beds at BC Children’s Hospital and other regional beds.

The Ministry of Health spends approximately $1.4 billion every year in mental-health and substance-use services.

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Quotes:

Jane Thornthwaite, MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour and Parliamentary Secretary for Child Mental Health and Anti-Bullying  –

“Too many young people find themselves seeking help when they are in crisis. This isn’t ideal for them, their families or the community. By providing interdisciplinary supports through Foundry North Shore, early intervention and the right care supports can reduce these crisis situations.”

Naomi Yamamoto, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale –

“It’s about removing stigma for seeking help, before a small problem becomes a big problem.  With help from Foundry, youth can get back on track in an easily accessible, friendly and welcoming environment.”

Jordan Sturdy, MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky –

“These centres will go further in helping families and young people overcome hurdles that life places in their way. With supports that emphasize easy and comfortable access, our hope is to offer a hand to those needing a little extra help with mental health or substance use concerns.”

Ralph Sultan, MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano –

“Right now, seeking help is not easy. By launching a network of services for young people and their families, we’re removing stigma that may exist when people try to address mental-health or substance-use concerns.”

Tanis Evans, interim operations director, VCH – Coastal –

“By bringing together core services under one roof, the centre will support youth and their families with easier access to care. Whether a young person needs support for anxiety or depression, wants to see a family doctor or is struggling with a distressing situation, we will help them get the services they need.”

Learn More:

For more information on Foundry: www.foundrybc.ca  

To learn about the Granville Youth Health Centre, visit: www.innercityyouth.ca

For more information about mental health supports, please visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/factsheet-comprehensive-mental-health-services-in-bc

Find mental-health and substance-use services in your area with a new online map:
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/mental-health-substance-use/find-services-near-you/youth-mental-health-services