VIMHS to oversee day-to-day management of new facility for homeless in Campbell River
CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. -- The former Rose Bowl Restaurant is being converted into bridge housing for the community’s homeless. The province, through BC Housing, bought the restaurant at 1221 Cedar St. and plans to immediately create a space for 20 beds. “This project...
Drug-addicted son ‘would have been better off in an institution’, mother says
On May 3, Judith Stuart’s son died alone in his apartment of a drug overdose. Samuel Stuart, 42, was one of 170 illicit-drug deaths in May, the highest number ever recorded in a single month in B.C. For his mother, it was the end of a “long, long journey” with her...
B.C. proposal would give hospitals right to detain youth who have overdosed
The B.C. government has proposed changes to its Mental Health Act that would allow people who are under 19 to be hospitalized without their consent for up to seven days following an overdose. The changes, which passed a first reading in the legislature Tuesday, are...
I’ve called the police on my son. The thought of doing so now terrifies me
“Don’t call the police,” my son said, over the phone, near tears, his voice sounding desperate. “The police kill people with mental illness all the time.” His mom and I had called the police on him before. We called them when he disappeared during a psychotic break,...
Pandemic underscores a lack of affordable housing, homeless issues in B.C.
For Cameron LeBlanc, a B.C. government order to clear three homeless encampments – two in Victoria, one in Vancouver – brought a profound change to his life, which he says had gone off track. When the order came on April 24, Mr. LeBlanc was living in Victoria’s Topaz...
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VIMHS NEWS
It’s National Nursing Week from May 11 to 17
National Nursing Week 2020 is May 11-17. It always occurs from the Monday to the Sunday of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. The theme this year is Nurses: A Voice to Lead — Nursing the World to Health. The theme was developed by the International Council of...
During Mental Health Week, let’s #GetReal about how we really feel
Every year, in the first full week of May, people rally for CMHA Mental Health Week. It’s a Canadian tradition bringing communities, schools and workplaces together to celebrate, protect and promote mental health. This year, things are looking a little different. We...
World Bipolar Day aims to build awareness and eliminate social stigma
World Bipolar Day -- an initiative of the Asian Network of Bipolar Disorder, the International Bipolar Foundation, and the International Society for Bipolar Disorders -- will be celebrated each year on March 30th, the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, who was posthumously...
MEDIA SCAN
The mental side of health and safety will be a big part of life in the NBA bubble
There will be any number of men and women working with NBA teams, between now and whenever the season ends, dealing with the physical needs of everyone involved.There will be daily testing for the coronavirus and any treatment that arises from that, as well as the...
B.C. proposal would give hospitals right to detain youth who have overdosed
The B.C. government has proposed changes to its Mental Health Act that would allow people who are under 19 to be hospitalized without their consent for up to seven days following an overdose. The changes, which passed a first reading in the legislature Tuesday, are...
I’ve called the police on my son. The thought of doing so now terrifies me
“Don’t call the police,” my son said, over the phone, near tears, his voice sounding desperate. “The police kill people with mental illness all the time.” His mom and I had called the police on him before. We called them when he disappeared during a psychotic break,...
PEOPLE FIRST MEDIA
COVID-19 human challenge trials could speed up vaccine development
AUDIO | It’s currently uncertain how many people COVID-19 will affect worldwide and at what speed its impacts will be felt. Possible outcomes are shaped by interventions like social distancing, the capacity of health systems, potential drug treatments, and many other...
Making music in a time of crisis reminds us we belong
AUDIO | With constraints on our movements and general way of life becoming more and more restricted, we are feeling a loss of control not experienced since the second world war. In being confined to our homes, we are missing our normal social support from friends and...
Singer-songwriter James Kasper and his new single, released during COVID-19
AUDIO | Vancouver Island singer-songwriter James Kasper has just released his brand new single "How Blue is Your Hell", and it’s a song that speaks of these times of isolation, patience, and the hope of moving forward amidst adversity. James is also the founder of...
