Whereas there are two current public health emergencies in BC with the COVID-19 crisis declared in March 2020, and the overdose crisis declared in April 2016; And whereas deaths due to unintentional illicit drug toxicity have increased considerably with 170 deaths in May 2020 alone, and 554 deaths between January and May 2020; And whereas police and fire departments are responding to an increasing number mental health and overdose related calls, which results in higher costs carried by local governments: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the provincial government to introduce a comprehensive strategy for the provision of protective and health services that includes: - Ongoing, sustained funding to address the overdose public health emergency. - Implementing a province-wide agreement between police and mental health officials on the management of mental health patients in emergency wards. - Developing integrated teams of health, police, and other officials on a twenty-four 24 hour basis to manage individuals with mental health issues. - Introducing additional long-term care beds to deal specifically with mental illness cases.
Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions British Columbians are experiencing unprecedented rates of harm due to an illicit drug supply that is unpredictable, highly toxic and has claimed the lives of over 7000 people since 2016. In April 2016, a public health emergency was declared due to rising illicit drug toxicity harms including death, and in March 2020, an additional public health emergency was declared due to the onset of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The intersection of these emergencies has had devastating effects on people who use drugs, having exacerbated the ongoing risk of death and other harms due to an increasingly toxic street drug supply. The province remains committed to an urgent, comprehensive and escalated response to these emergencies that includes a focus on priority actions to save lives, reduce stigma, and improve public safety. The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was created in 2017 to build a seamless, coordinated network of mental health and addictions services that works for everyone in BC, as well as lead the response to the overdose crisis. The Province established the Overdose Emergency Response Centre OERC in December 2017 to act as a sustained coordination centre in the province-wide overdose emergency response. Governments work is guided by the implementation of a comprehensive package of essential health sector interventions and strategies for a supportive environment to reduce overdose deaths and drug-related harms, including fast-tracking pathways to low barrier evidence-based medications and treatment and recovery services. Budget Update 2017 and Budget 2019 provided 138 million per year to respond to the Overdose Emergency. In this time, the Province has doubled the number of overdose prevention supervised consumption services available to save lives, funded 36 Community Action Teams, added seven new and expanded nine substance use teams in health authorities across the province to engage and retain more people in supports and has made more treatment options available to more people with substance use challenges than ever before. In addition, governments investment in addictions treatment beds has included 36 million to open 123 youth beds which will more than double the number of youth treatment beds throughout the province, as well as 13 million to add over 100 new adult treatment and recovery beds across the province to improve access and connect more people to the help they need. Since the pandemic began in March 2020, to counter the impacts of COVID-19 safety measures, additional resources have been added including funding and greater support for operators of supportive recovery homes to operate during the pandemic, additional funding for supervised consumption sites, and greater access to virtual low or no cost counselling services. In September 2020, the Ministers of Health and Mental Health and Addictions approved new policy direction to provide safe prescription alternatives to the toxic drug supply. As the intersection of public health emergencies related to the overdose crisis and COVID-19 continues to exacerbate health inequalities in BC, the government remains committed to a collaborative and comprehensive approach to protective and health services delivery that works to put people on a path to treatment and recovery. As part of our escalated response to the overdose crisis, a number of initiatives have also been established to facilitate collaboration between law enforcement and mental health and substance use service providers to support the mental health of British Columbians. These initiatives include Mobile Crisis Response Services in Kamloops, Surrey, Prince George and Vancouver; police partnerships with local case management and outreach teams such as Assertive Community Treatment teams; and the establishment of Mental Health Liaison Officers. On April 20, 2021, Budget 2021 provided the largest investment in mental health and addictions services in BC history with 500 million in new funding across the three-year fiscal plan. This funding supports progress on BCs mental health and addictions strategy, A Pathway to Hope, which provides a roadmap to enhancing and improving mental health and addictions services. This includes targeted supports for children and youth, improved quality and access to mental health services, and prevention, treatment and emergency response to the overdose crisis. Budget2021 provides 330million over the fiscal plan to provide a full spectrum of treatment and recovery services for individuals experiencing issues with substance use. Thisincludes 152million for opioid treatment. Overdose prevention supports implemented in response to the pandemic will become permanent programs through Budget2021, meaning that 15 million in funding will be provided each year to health authorities to scale up key interventions including overdose prevention services and more nurses and interdisciplinary outreach teams to help connect more people to treatment and recovery services. Additional service such as Assertive Community Treatment teams, the Lifeguard App, and consultative services for health care professionals providing substance use treatment were also annualized. Budget 2021 also provides 14 million for the First Nations Health Authority to deliver targeted mental health and addictions services to Indigenous peoples throughout BC. Other substance-use services include end-to-end services from initial sobering and assessment and withdrawal management services, through to supporting an individual transition back into daily life. Funding will support the creation of 195 new substance-use treatment and recovery beds throughout BC. for all types of substance use. New beds will be supported by new out-patient, peer supports and community-based support services throughout the province. The Minister of Mental Health and Addictions has been mandated to develop complex care housing for people who require more intensive supports than provided in supportive housing. The Ministry is working across government and with partners including local government representatives to develop a framework for complex care housing. Government will set aside funding in 202122 from the Pandemic and Recovery Contingencies Vote to begin implementing this key priority action.