MENTAL HEALTH: MOVING INTO CMH

Williams Lake has gotten a head start when it comes to the Interior
Health Authority's plan to co-locate mental health and addictions services.

Since the B.C. Ministry of Health's announcement last March that the
five regional health authorities would be responsible for addiction
services, the Interior Health Authority has been working to integrate
substance abuse counselling, treatment and prevention as part of
mental health, said Mohamed Dhanani, director of mental health
services for the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap health services area.

However, addictions services in Williams Lake was already moved into
the mental health centre on Borland Street last spring. The next step
will be to move both services into the third floor of the hospital,
said Jim Campbell, program manager for mental health services in
Williams Lake.

"We're in essence forerunners in this planning," he
said.

In the last year, those working in mental health and addictions
services have been getting better acquainted with each other, and the
referral process has been easier, said Janine Lacasse, program
supervisor for addiction services.

"It makes case planning more effective," she said. "There were cases
before where a person was getting both services and we didn't know."

Once all the services are co-located in the hospital, they stand to
compliment each other even more, Lacasse said. "In emergency, if they
want a mental health opinion, its' right there," she said, adding that
withdrawal from alcohol or drugs can sometimes also requires a medical
assessment.

Campbell couldn't give a specific date for the move up to the
hospital, as renovations still need to be completed, but the lease on
the current location is up at the end of October, 2003.

In 100 Mile, mental health and addictions services, as well as crisis
stabilization, are already co-located in the hospital and community
centre.

In order to facilitate the integration of the mental health and
addiction services, the authority has formed a planning partnership
with the two services, as well as Aboriginal health and public health.
The team's leaders have already visited the services in 100 Mile and
are expected to visit Williams Lake in the near future, Campbell said.

For the Thompson Cariboo health area, Dhanani expects the planning for
the "new face" of mental health services to be complete by January 1,
2004.

Campbell said they are still working on integration of the services,
which will include Gateway Crisis stabilization unit and the new after
hours service. Life skills workers also moved into the mental health
centre in December.

"Those are all things we're going to be working on over the next
couple of months," he said.