

Anxiety is like an open app, running in the background and draining my battery
AUDIO | Brad Furlott lives in Toronto and, as he puts it, is “mostly retired.” He’s part of a writing group and has had three of his stories published by The Globe and Mail under their First Person series of personal stories. Brad’s latest story -- Anxiety is like an...

B.C. high school student calls for more in-depth mental health education
AUDIO | When the British Columbia government announced a $2-million boost to mental health supports in schools in September, it piqued DJ Gill’s interest. Like many students forced into online classes last spring and facing restricted in-person classes since...

Poet puts pen to paper for journey into mental wellness
AUDIO | Ryan Antooa is a creative – through and through. He's a creative artist, photographer, graphic designer, copywriter, dancer, freelance creative director – and he’s also a poet. Ryan’s poetry appeared in print for the first time in a book called Better In Tune...

Gender Journeys program to include support, education and outreach
AUDIO | Society still isn’t built to be accepting of people who don’t identify as their gender assigned at birth. But attitudes are starting to change for the better. Things like government forms and identification, too, are beginning to include gender identities...

How a year of COVID-19 has impacted our mental health
Experts are sounding the alarm on an impending fourth wave of the pandemic — a wave characterized by psychic trauma, burnout, mental illness and economic injury that is projected to be the largest, most enduring health footprint of COVID-19. “I think we’re seeing the...
Recent Posts
For People First Media audio, please follow the link to the post.
VIMHS NEWS
New supportive homes open at Q’waxsem Place in Campbell River
Construction has finished on a 50-unit supportive housing development in Campbell River that will provide homes with 24/7 support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. "This housing will make a significant difference for people in Campbell River who are...
New affordable housing with mental health and addiction supports opens in Nanaimo
A three-story complex of low-rent housing has begun welcoming residents in Nanaimo. The doors officially opened on 285 Rosehill St. at Terminal Ave on Dec. 1, providing 23 studio apartments for those with mental health and addiction services. Owned and operated by the...
16 Days of Activism campaign aims to eliminate gender-based violence
Orange the world – it’s the message being spread during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign. The campaign begins on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and runs until December 10, World Human...
MEDIA SCAN
How a year of COVID-19 has impacted our mental health
Experts are sounding the alarm on an impending fourth wave of the pandemic — a wave characterized by psychic trauma, burnout, mental illness and economic injury that is projected to be the largest, most enduring health footprint of COVID-19. “I think we’re seeing the...
Supporting first responders’ mental health through COVID-19 pandemic
B.C. first-responders experience traumas and stressors on the job unlike those of almost any other occupation. The added stress of being essential workers during COVID-19 highlights the importance of caring for our mental health more than ever before. Research has...
“There’s a lot that needs to be done”
Eli Cooley-Morris was baptized in the Downtown Eastside’s landmark First United Church in 1988. He died next door at the Hazelwood Hotel nearly 32 years later, another victim of B.C.’s poisoned drug supply. His father, Rev. Barry Morris, was the minister at the church...
PEOPLE FIRST MEDIA
Anxiety is like an open app, running in the background and draining my battery
AUDIO | Brad Furlott lives in Toronto and, as he puts it, is “mostly retired.” He’s part of a writing group and has had three of his stories published by The Globe and Mail under their First Person series of personal stories. Brad’s latest story -- Anxiety is like an...
B.C. high school student calls for more in-depth mental health education
AUDIO | When the British Columbia government announced a $2-million boost to mental health supports in schools in September, it piqued DJ Gill’s interest. Like many students forced into online classes last spring and facing restricted in-person classes since...
Poet puts pen to paper for journey into mental wellness
AUDIO | Ryan Antooa is a creative – through and through. He's a creative artist, photographer, graphic designer, copywriter, dancer, freelance creative director – and he’s also a poet. Ryan’s poetry appeared in print for the first time in a book called Better In Tune...