Five B.C. cities will offer integrated employment and treatment services to those recovering from mental health and addiction issues, the Minister of Social Development announced in Vernon on Friday.
“We all want people going through addiction treatment to have the care and support they need to recover,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
“Integrating employment services into some publicly funded treatment beds will help people get the jobs and connections they need to build a better life.”
Through a $4.9-million grant, the Canadian Mental Health Association – B.C. division will give people in treatment at bed-based recovery centres access to employment services as part of their recovery process, allowing them to gain the skills and support needed to enter and thrive in the labour market.
“The recovery journey does not end once you leave a recovery centre; this is why it’s important to support life and employment skills during treatment, which we know can help strengthen purpose and meaning in a person’s life,” Jonny Morris, CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association B.C., said.
“We hear from clients about how employment can provide a powerful remedy to support self-determination and dignity. Pairing people with employment supports is investing in wraparound recovery that benefits society as a whole.”
The pilot program, which began this spring and will run for three years, will provide enhanced employment services, including pre-employment skills, job search and maintenance support, as well as a range of mental-health and substance-use interventions for people at five treatment centres. The program will also highlight best practices for integrated evidence-based employment services, which will help guide improvements in provincial policy and programming for people with complex care needs.
The five pilot sites are in Nanaimo, Vernon, Kamloops, Penticton and Prince Rupert.
Executing the plan will be Turning Points Collaborative Society in Vernon, which will have eight beds, Connective in Nanaimo will have 15 beds, ASK Wellness Society in Kamloops will have 12 beds, Penticton Recovery Resource Society will have five beds and 333 Recovery Homes in Prince Rupert will have six beds.
- B.C. to ban drug use in all public places in major overhaul of decriminalization
- 3 women diagnosed with HIV after ‘vampire facials’ at unlicensed U.S. spa
- Solar eclipse eye damage: More than 160 cases reported in Ontario, Quebec
- ‘Super lice’ are becoming more resistant to chemical shampoos. What to use instead
Comments