COVID-19 outbreaks at universities: Students need safe places to socialize, not partying bans
AUDIO | As universities have reopened in various ways this fall after spring COVID-19 closures and a rapid move to online learning, new challenges are emerging. Beyond navigating a “new normal” of both virtual and in-person academic learning, universities must...
Mental Illness Awareness Week 2020: Navigating Mental Health during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) has announced the five Canadians who have been named as the “2020-21 Faces of Mental Illness.” The announcement came just before the start of Mental Illness Awareness Week, which will be held from...
Parenting our way through climate and COVID-19 crises
AUDIO | "Is it raining?" My five-year-old asked me this last Saturday morning as he padded out of his bedroom in his spaceship pyjamas and contemplated the muted grey sky out our front window. In Vancouver, grey skies usually signify clouds of water, and after days of...
20 bridge housing spaces now open in Campbell River, managed by VIMHS
Vancouver Island Mental Health Society has officially opened 20 spaces offering "bridge housing" in Campbell River. Bridge housing provides homeless citizens with a bed, showers and meals, as well as many of the support services found in permanent supportive housing....
It is possible to end chronic homelessness if we act now
As a physician and researcher on homelessness, I’m a witness to the intersecting health crises that affect people who don’t have adequate housing. COVID-19 is only one of them. For years, my colleagues and I have treated infections and overdoses, chronic diseases,...
Recent Posts
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VIMHS NEWS
World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10th
Suicide prevention remains a universal challenge. Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for people of all ages. It is responsible for over 800,000 deaths, which equates to one suicide every 40 seconds. Every life lost represents...
International Overdose Awareness Day is August 31
International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held on August 31st each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or...
BC Housing, VIMHS and the City of Campbell River are partnering on a project to build 50 new homes with support services
BC Housing, the Vancouver Island Mental Health Society (VIMHS) and the City of Campbell River are partnering on a project to build 50 new homes with support services for people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. BC Housing will lease a portion of the City-owned...
MEDIA SCAN
Homelessness and poverty have long been linked to differences in life expectancy
Six months in, thousands of families have lost loved ones to COVID-19. The economic and social toll of the epidemic has been crushing. We have seen heroic efforts by front line workers and support workers in long-term care homes, shelters, hospitals, and food service...
Well-being research offers hints on how best to rebuild and support well-being during our COVID-19 times
We’re at a crossroads. As of Sept. 16, 2020, COVID-19 had infected over 29 million people and caused more than 930,000 deaths worldwide. Infections target the respiratory system and cause difficulty breathing, chest pain and fever. The virus may also be linked to...
Campbell River housing project in former restaurant nears completion
The new bridge housing project going into the former Rosebowl restaurant has had over four times as many applicants as it can take. The facility is expected to be open in approximately two weeks, according to Taryn O’Flanagan, the executive director of the Vancouver...
PEOPLE FIRST MEDIA
Parenting our way through climate and COVID-19 crises
AUDIO | "Is it raining?" My five-year-old asked me this last Saturday morning as he padded out of his bedroom in his spaceship pyjamas and contemplated the muted grey sky out our front window. In Vancouver, grey skies usually signify clouds of water, and after days of...
Being safe, being me: Trans and non-binary youth health in Canada
In 2014, the Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC) conducted a bilingual survey to learn about the health of transgender youth in Canada. It was the first and largest of its kind in Canada, with 923 young people responding. From this report,...
Transgender individuals are more likely to have chronic health problems
AUDIO | Transgender individuals in Ontario are more likely to experience chronic health problems than the general population, according to a study published August 28, 2020 at JAMA Open. In the largest study of its kind ever conducted in Canada, 2,085 transgender...
