B.C. announces more support for youth mental health

The British Columbiagovernment says 10 new Foundry centres are being developed in the province that will give young people and their families faster and easier access to mental health and substance use services.

Foundry is an integrated health and wellness service for people aged 12 to 24.

According to a statement from the province, new centres will offer primary care, counselling, early intervention, prevention and addictions supports.

The province says it has earmarked close to $75 million for Foundry expansion, with new centrescoming toBurnaby, Chilliwack, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Quesnel, Sooke-Westshore, South Surrey, Vancouver, Vanderhoof and the West Kootenays.

SixteenFoundry centres are open across the province with another nine in development.

Foundry executive director Steve Mathiassays they expect to have 35 centres openby 2027 in addition to virtual services.

Mental Health and Addictions MinisterJennifer Whiteside made the announcement Monday at the site of a Foundry centre in Surreythatshe says is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

Whitesidesays the additional servicescome at a time when young people are facing greater stress and anxiety.

"They've come through a global pandemic that has had a dramatic effect on their social lives, their mode of learning, their access to community, their family dynamic ... And layered on top of that, we are in the midst of a climate emergency that creates its own set of anxieties for youth."

Whitesidesaid the recently releasedB.C. Adolescent Health Survey paints a worrying picture of the mental health of young people.

Released by the McCreary Centre Society, the survey posed questions toaround38,000students between grades 7 and 12 in an effort toglimpse into the lives of B.C. teens.

The latest edition of the survey, which has been conducted every fiveyears for the past three decades,was released last month. It found that 24 per cent of youth had reported self-harm, up from 16 per cent in 2018 and 15 per cent in 2013.

It also found that in comparison to past survey years, youth were more likely to have suffered from eatingdisorders and experienced sexual abuse.

"We know that youth feel like their own mental health is declining," Whitesidesaid.

On itswebsite,Foundry says it provides "safe, non-judgmental care, information and resources, and work to reach young people earlier before health challenges become problematic."

The province says 75 per cent of serious mental-health issues emerge before the age of 25.

The province said more than 17,000 people aged 12 to 24 and their families accessed Foundry services in fiscal year 2022-23, the vast majority through in-person services at centres while a smaller numbers accessed services online.