CMHA is a leading member of the BC Alliance for Accountable Mental Health and Addictions Services. The Alliance is made up of agencies and organizations in British Columbia who are committed to improving provincial, regional and local mental health and addictions services available to support individuals who experience mental health and/or addictions issues in this province. We want a mental health system that can clearly demonstrate that services and supports in every community across this province are making a positive difference for our citizens. Current members of the Alliance include
- Association of Substance Abuse Programs of BC
- BC Psychiatric Association
- BC Schizophrenia Society
- Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
- CMHA Consumer Development Project, Okanagan
- Community Legal Assistance Society
- CSX Mental Health Society of BC
- Psychosocial Rehabilitation BC
- John Howard Society of BC
- Mental Health Evaluation and Community Consultation Unit, University of British Columbia
- Pacific Community Resources Society
- Vancouver Police Department
Archives
The following reports and fact sheets were produced under the umbrella of the BC Mental Health Monitoring Coalition. Comprised of four provincial advocacy organizations concerned with the availability and quality of mental health services in BC, the Coalition formed in 1998 to monitor the implementation of the BC Ministry of Health’s 1998 Mental Health Plan and corresponding funding commitment. The Coalition disbanded in 2002. Members included CMHA BC Division, BC Schizophrenia Society, Mood Disorders Association of BC, and Anxiety Disorders Association of BC.
National Health Reform Priorities:
Where is Mental Health (2000)
Over 700,000 British Columbians, or 20 per cent of the population of British Columbia, will experience some form of mental illness in their lifetime. Of this number, approximately 70,000 people suffer from serious and persistent mental illness, which is profoundly disabling and requires extensive care. Despite these numbers, mental health makes up approximately seven per cent of the total provincial health care budget. Recent new funding has been given to the province by the federal government for health care, yet none of this funding has been allocated to mental health. The purpose of this paper (41KB PDF) is to highlight the impact of mental health services on the health care system and propose some immediate actions that government can take that will serve all British Columbians.
Promises Made, Promises Broken: Report on the Implementation Of the 1998 Mental Health Plan (2000)
The government of BC announced a visionary and broadly-supported Mental Health Plan in January 1998. The Mental Health Monitoring Coalition was formed soon after with the mandate of stimulating and monitoring growth toward the vision of the 1998 Plan. This is now the third year of the Plan and the promises made in January 1998 to the people of BC have been broken. Ongoing funding for the first three years - nearly half of the timespan of the Plan - is just over $10 million, over $43 million short of the $54 million that should have been allocated to meet the Plan commitment of $125 million in seven years. The Coalition represents over 6,000 people with mental illness (also known as consumers for their use of mental health services) and their families across BC. This paper (525KB PDF) identifies how they are gravely concerned about this lack of government commitment to this group of people and to the mental health of all British Columbians.
Fact Sheets on Mental Health Funding, Services and Priorities
These sheets were prepared by the Monitoring Coalition for use in election kits during the provincial election of 2001.
- We Know What We Have to Do (258KB PDF)
- Appropriate Funding (252KB PDF)
- Early Intervention (253KB PDF)
- Access to Care (252KB PDF)
- Current Mental Health Expenditures (327KB PDF)
- FAQ: The Way Things Are (254KB PDF)
Personal Stories
In May 2000, the Coalition released a paper about the government’s commitment to the 1998 Mental Health Plan: Promises Made, Promises Broken. Read about other people's experiences, how they cope, how they deal with day to day life and what it is like to be living everyday with a mental illness. Topic areas include bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and tourette syndrome.