The Government of Canada and partners establish a Canada-wide network to support integrated mental health and substance use services for youth

“Young people have always faced challenges as they deal with the changes in their lives. Over the past years, their mental health and substance use challenges have been exacerbated by the stresses and social disruption of the pandemic. Integrated Youth Services is a proven model that can lead to improved health outcomes. By supporting IYS-Net in its objective to bring together diverse services and perspectives from youth, care providers, partners, researchers, and people with lived and living experience will we ensure that all youth have the opportunity to receive the integrated care that they need to thrive, grow, and succeed.”

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health

“Ontario has always been a strong advocate for Integrated Youth Services. The IYS model plays a key role in our $3.8 billion, 10-year Roadmap to Wellness by lowering barriers of access and providing upstream investments that create safe spaces for young Ontarians. By connecting our 22 Hubs to other Integrated Youth Service providers across the country we are proud to contribute to IYS-Net’s shared data infrastructure, aiding researchers and policy makers in making informed decisions on how we can ensure that our children and youth will grow into healthy adults”.

The Honourable Michael A Tibollo
Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions

“It has taken a decade of collaboration and partnerships to get here, building on the amazing foundation of ACCESS Open Minds, Foundry, Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario and Aire ouverte. CIHR’s IYS-Net will bring together all 13 provinces and territories to help create the first ever pan-Canadian learning health system, using research, data and the living experiences of youth themselves, to transform access to evidence-informed, integrated services for all youth in Canada. The goal is that, when completed, not a single youth between the age of twelve and twenty-five will be left without access to the health and social services they need the most. Youth will determine their own healthy future, by being at the center of it.”

Dr. Samuel Weiss
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Addiction

“Integrated Youth Services (IYS) are leading the way in providing Canadian youth with easily accessible, culturally relevant mental health services. With our partners the Bell-GBF Partnership and RBC Future Launch, we are delighted to support the IYS-Net initiative, which is aimed at ensuring that IYS achieves its full potential for equitable access and outcomes for young people and their families. IYS-Net takes a ‘learning health system’ approach, using data and lived experience to generate and mobilize knowledge for more effective youth services. This approach holds great promise for improving the quality of youth mental health services across the country.”

Ian Boeckh
President, Graham Boeckh Foundation

“The Indigenous Network within IYS-Net builds upon significant efforts by ACCESS Open Minds and in particular its Indigenous Council and allows important growth in relationships and collaborations with Indigenous and IYS partners throughout Canada. It provides an opportunity to continue developing and supporting community-driven, culturally appropriate, and timely mental health supports for Indigenous young people.”

Dr. Christopher Mushquash
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, Lakehead University

“Building on a collaboration involving the Ministry of Health and Social Services, youth, families, carers, service providers, community organizations and researchers from across Quebec, IYS-Net will strengthen collaborations and networking around Aire ouverte, Québec’s network of integrated youth services (IYS). I am delighted that Aire ouverte, that targets 12 to 25 year olds, aims to improve access to youth-friendly services, particularly for vulnerable and traditionally underserved groups. In this, Aire ouverte is like the pan-Canadian ACCESS Open Minds youth mental health network, CIHR’s first Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research initiative launched in 2014. It is inspiring that Canadian youth mental health is now achieving critical mass and synergies through IYS-Net, which unites all provincial IYS and the Indigenous network.”

Srividya N. Iyer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University
Researcher, Douglas Research Centre

“We know a quarter of youth in Canada are affected by mental health and/or substance use concerns. We believe that Canadian youth deserve easy access to community supports for these concerns. This funding from CIHR presents an opportunity to work with partner organizations from across Canada to develop a Learning Health System that will improve the lives of young people in British Columbia and beyond. On behalf of everyone at Foundry, we are incredibly grateful to the federal government for their investment in Integrated Youth Services in Canada, and for the ongoing support of the Government of BC, Providence Healthcare, St Paul’s Foundation and the University of British Columbia.  We also acknowledge that this good work would not be possible without the commitment of young people and caregivers working to improve our health care system.

We share in this excitement with our IYS partners across Canada. Together, we are transforming and continuously improving health and wellness outcomes for young people and families/caregivers across Canada.”

Dr. Steve Mathias, Executive Director and Dr. Skye Barbic, Head Scientist
Foundry

“Youth and their families deserve access to high quality services that are co-designed with youth and families, and lead to positive and equitable outcomes for youth throughout Canada.  IYS-Net will allow us to develop new and inclusive approaches to support youth effectively. The partnerships across government and philanthropy that have made these investments possible demonstrate a shared recognition of the critical importance of supporting youth to succeed and thrive. Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario is grateful for the vision of these partners and their commitment to youth and families.”

Dr. Jo Henderson
Executive Director, Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) and Director, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health

“The IYS National Data Framework and Infrastructure project is the first step in establishing a nationwide secure and scalable platform that will enable the real-time exchange of mental health data and accelerate knowledge sharing in a pan-Canadian learning health system for youth mental health”.

Dr. Sean Hill
Director, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics

• What makes Foundry different: Integrated Youth Services (IYS) 101
• IYS is often referred to as a guiding set of principles for delivering care to youth, typically in the age range of 12 to 25 years.
• IYS often include such services as:
  • mental health services
  • substance use counselling
  • primary care
  • peer and family support services
  • sexual health services
  • work and study supports
  • assistance navigating the health care system
  • housing and other social community services
  • traditional Indigenous healing and cultural practices
• IYS-Net is being developed through a partnership between CIHR, the Graham Boeckh Foundation, the Bell-GBF Partnership, and the RBC Foundation through RBC Future Launch, with new partners to be brought on board as IYS-Net evolves.
• The three most established provincial networks for IYS will receive this initial funding of $1 million: Foundry (British Columbia), Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (Ontario), and Aire ouverte (Quebec), as well as an Indigenous Network drawn from ACCESS Open Minds sites in First Nation and Inuit communities where research and service delivery is guided by a well-established Indigenous Council.

Related products

• Backgrounder – Government of Canada Support for Integrated Youth Services

Associated links

• National Standards for Integrated Youth Services funding opportunity
• National Standards for Integrated Youth Services funding decision
• The Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net)
• The Graham Boeckh Foundation
• The Bell-GBF Partnership
• RBC Future Launch
• Foundry
• Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario
• Aire ouverte
• ACCESS Open Minds
• The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Foundry PhD research trainee receives prestigious Clyde Hertzman Memorial Fellowship

On August 31, 2022, Katherine (Katie) Hastings, a UBC doctoral student was named the successful recipient of the 2nd annual ‘Society to Cell’ Clyde Hertzman Memorial Fellowship for her research project, “How has the mental health service needs of youth in BC changed since the pandemic: a retrospective analysis using data from a province-wide integrated youth service network“. 

The ‘Society to Cell’ Clyde Hertzman Memorial Fellowship financially supports UBC trainees who are conducting research projects that will enrich our understanding of the impact of social and environmental factors on health and well-being across the life course.  

For Dr. Skye Barbic, Head Scientist at Foundry, this scholarship honours the legacy of Dr. Hertzman – who passed away suddenly in February 2013 – as a world-leading researcher in the social determinants of health, a champion for social justice, and a tireless advocate for youth.  

“We are so proud of Katie’s work to date,” says Dr. Barbic, “and look forward to partnering with her and Dr. Anne Gadermann from the UBC School of Public and Population Health to advance this impactful research and support Katie’s trajectory as a future health service leader, educator, and researcher.  

Learn more about her project below: 

How has the mental health service needs of youth in BC changed since the pandemic: a retrospective analysis using data from a province-wide integrated youth service network 

Canada and many parts of the world are investing in an emerging model of care called Integrated Youth Services (IYS), combining a blend of traditional (psychiatric care, counseling) and non-traditional services (peer support, primary care, and social services) delivered in a singular, accessible and youth-friendly location. This comes at a critical time in which youth are facing unprecedented levels of social isolation and missing important developmental milestones with school closures, quarantine orders, and increased family and individual stress due to the pandemic.  

The overall aim of this study is to understand the impact of integrated youth services (IYS) on access and service utilization patterns among diverse youth in BC, by describing characteristics and predictors of service utilization among youth accessing IYS; comparing temporal trends of service use and mental health outcomes of youth accessing services by IYS sites over time (2018-2022); and comparing overall service utilization patterns (i.e., any mental health-related services accessed in BC) of youth before and after an initial visit at an IYS. 

With widening socioeconomic and health inequities, understanding the impact of Foundry, an IYS established in 2015, and the needs of diverse youth in BC will help inform rapid policy and public health action to address these disparities. 

“Being awarded this fellowship means a lot to me,” says Katie. “Dr. Clyde Hertzman has left a huge legacy in the field of early childhood development and I hope to honor his vision to explore ‘differences that make a difference’ through this work.” 

“We have a unique opportunity to examine the mental health landscape and service needs of youth through the rich data sources available at Foundry. Findings from this study can be used to identify potential gaps in access and services needed to address the increasing mental health burden among youth brought on by the pandemic.” 

Congratulations to Katie on this award! 

 

 

---

Clyde Hertzman Memorial Fellowship Award, UBC researcher, Dr. Skye Barbic, Skye Barbic, Foundry BC, Foundry, the Foundry, integrated youth services, foundry counselling, youth mental health, translated mental health services,  kids mental health, free counselling, youth support, teenager mental health support, youth programs, mental health and addictions

Two Foundry teams funded through PHC’s annual Practice-based Research Challenge  

On Aug 23, two Foundry Vancouver-Granville teams were among the 15 successful teams receiving funding through the annual PHC Practice-based Research Challenge, for their research project: Experiences of Indigenous youth accessing mental health care through primary care and psychiatry at two inner-city integrative community health centres. 

The Research Challenge is a competition open to point-of-care PHC staff and offers research teams the opportunity to work with a mentor to develop a research proposal around a research question, where they learn basic research skills and compete with other teams for funding to conduct a small-scale research project.  

Presentations were judged by a panel comprised of scientific and Patient and Family Partner reviewers.  

Winning teams receive up to $5,000 each in research award funding to conduct their research over an 18-month period. 

Learn more about their project below: 

Experiences of Indigenous youth accessing mental health care through primary care and psychiatry at two inner-city integrative community health centres.  

Team members: 

• Janae Dunlop RN 
• Lyn Heinemann OT 
• Emily Leake NP 
• Sarah Cochrane NP 
• Courteney Durand PFP 

Young people aged 15–24 are more likely to experience mental health and/or substance use disorders than any other age group. As a result of the negative impacts of colonization, cultural oppression and historical trauma, Indigenous youth experience a disproportionate burden of mental health and substance use concerns with even more barriers to accessing care than non-Indigenous youth. Primary care and mental health services in urban settings have generally not been adapted to serve the needs of Indigenous young people.  

The aim of this project is to gain an understanding of the experiences of Indigenous youth ages 16-24 years who have accessed mental health care through primary care and psychiatry at two urban health centres. Findings may help service providers optimize the care outcomes and experiences of urban Indigenous youth and directions for future research.  

What is the experience of youth transitioning from Foundry youth services to adult care? 

Team members: 

• Farzana Rayani – Nurse Practitioner 
• Chelsea Stratton – Rehab Assistant
• Ingrid Mayer – Patient Family Partner 
• Danielle O’Callaghan – Patient Partner 

Our research project will look at the experience of youth transitioning from Foundry integrative youth services to adult care, or independence.  Foundry is a community-based youth (age 16-25 years) mental health and substance use clinic. Foundry Services are comprehensive and offer mental health care, substance use services, primary care, social services, and youth and family peer supports. 

Due to this “one stop shop” approach to care, our clinic is heavily involved in many aspects of a client’s life until they turn 25. There is currently no transition pathway or plan in place that Foundry clinicians can use to guide clients through the ageing out process.  

To explore this transition period, we will complete a qualitative research study using interviews and focus groups with former Foundry clients to identify the ways their health, and overall wellbeing has changed since ageing out of Foundry care. Our goal is to use the information gathered and to develop a pathway Foundry can use to better support and prepare our clients as they transition out of our care.   

Foundry Vancouver-Granville is part of the Foundry network, a growing provincial and national network that includes over 200 partnerships. It also serves as one of 12 Foundry centres across BC that provides free and confidential health and wellness services for young people ages 12-24.  

“The Foundry Network is a Learning Health System,” says Dr. Skye Barbic, Head Scientist, Foundry. “The Research Challenge is an opportunity to create, acquire, and transfer new knowledge from one centre and share insights with partner organizations in Vancouver and across the entire Foundry network. 

“The success of these teams shows incredible commitment from service providers at Foundry Vancouver Granville. We are grateful to their commitment to generate and share evidence to improve the outcomes and experience of youth and families.” 

Congratulations to Janae Dunlop, Lyn Heinemann, Emily Leake, Sarah Cochrane, Courteney Durand, Farzana Rayani, Chelsea Stratton, Ingrid Mayer, Danielle O’Callaghan on this award!  

 

 

 

---

PHC research challenge, PHC, Providence Health Care, Foundry Vancouver-Granville,  UBC researcher, Dr. Skye Barbic, Skye Barbic, Foundry BC, Foundry, the Foundry, integrated youth services, foundry counselling, youth mental health, translated mental health services,  kids mental health, free counselling, youth support, teenager mental health support, youth programs, mental health and addictions

Foundry supports youth in living a good life

Written by: Aslam (he/they) & Lee (she/they) – Provincial Youth Advisors, writers with Foundry BC  

Jumping in the lake and getting slushies is all anyone can think about on the last days of June 2019. For Aslam* (he/they), they had just graduated from high school, and like many others, they dreamed of leaving their small town for the big city.  

“Planning to move to Vancouver gave me so much hope,” says Aslam. “I was finally free to be openly queer, meet new friends and be immersed in a multicultural community.”  

Within six months, COVID-19 cases began to rise, and self-isolation became the norm. Suddenly alone, Aslam’s mental health began to decline, and they started to indulge in substances.  

“Moving came with so many pros that I forgot it also came with the cons,” stresses Aslam. “I thought everything was normal – drinking every night with my new friends and being hungover during class, wasting what little money I had left on the next disposable vape.”  

The isolation from early spring until the following summer made accessing resources almost impossible, impacting youth all over the province.  

“At first, I wasn’t even aware that I was at my worst,” says Aslam, “I was so used to my routine: wake up, still feeling helpless and empty, pack a bowl and take a couple of tokes out of my bedroom window, then go back to sleep. It was intense denial and numbing.”  

During the summer of 2021, Aslam gained the courage to reach out and receive support for their substance use and mental health. They went to Foundry, an integrated youth service that provides mental health care, substance use services, physical and sexual health care, youth and family peer supports and social services for young people ages 12-24 and their families/caregivers across BC.  

“I spoke to someone through Foundry in the past, when I was going through a lot of transitions mentally and spiritually,” says Aslam. “They really helped guide me through my struggles at the time.”  

Caption: Staff at Foundry Vancouver-Granville, operated by Providence Health Care. One of many Foundry centre across BC that provide integrated health services to young people like Aslam and Lee. Photo by Jeff Topham. 

Working with peer supporters with similar lived experience, Aslam was able to openly speak about their struggles with homophobia, past trauma and how it led to their battle with substance use. Aslam eventually connected with a physician through Foundry Vancouver-Granville and was able to learn more about their mental health, including their hereditary anxiety and signs of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  

Similarly, Lee* (she/they), a Foundry provincial youth advisor alongside Aslam, also experienced worsening mental health during the pandemic.

“To those of you who feel isolated or lonely – know that you are not alone,” Lee shares. “I was especially lucky that I was able to reach out to a counselor and doctor who have supported me through my path to recovery. I felt stuck for a long time and with help, I realized the way I had been living was not the path I had to follow.” 

Throughout high school, some of Lee’s close friends and peers used substances to alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression. As someone with lived experiences, Lee continues to encourage others to reach out to support services, no matter how difficult it may be to take the first step. 

“Sometimes, we don’t realize when we need to get help,” says Lee, “until we know other people who have gone through similar experiences.” 

As Foundry provincial youth advisors, both Aslam and Lee share their perspectives to make Foundry services youth-friendly and inclusive to others.  

“Being a part of my community has always been a critical part of my healing journey,” shares Aslam, “connecting with other youth and the opportunity to shape my own wellness journey, has made me feel stronger and less isolated in my struggles.” 

With the ever-changing lingo for substances and new trends on the internet, Foundry’s staff are well equipped; and some have their own lived experience as well. Encouraging youth to be open and honest about substance usage, and using harm reduction strategies, allows youth to feel less stigmatized.   

“When I went to Foundry, I was accepted,” says Aslam. “I didn’t need to explain why I made the choices I did because they already knew why, and they didn’t care. They just wanted me to feel supported and loved.”  

It is important to be able to meet youth where they are at in their journeys. Young people can walk into a local Foundry centre, explore online tools and resources at foundrybc.ca, or connect virtually through the Foundry BC app.   

“Our generation is strong, willing to grow and change for the better,” says Aslam. “With the services that Foundry is offering, no problem is too big or small. Foundry services are available, and they can help you.”  

To learn more, visit foundrybc.ca/youmatter. 

Are you a parent/caregiver looking for support for yourself and a young person in your life? Visit foundrybc.ca/youthcare for more information.

 

In the news

Check out media coverage in The Vancouver Sun, The Province (coming soon) and Black Press Media.

 

 

 

---

Keywords: Foundry, Foundry BC, Foundry Virtual, Foundry BC app, youth mental health, integrated youth services, physical and sexual healthcare, substance use, harm reduction, youth and family peer support, online support, virtual care, you matter, youth care, COVID-19, free and confidential, health and wellness, supports services, mental health care, social services support, support for families, support for caregivers, mental health support

Bell-Graham Boeckh Foundation Partnership announces $1.5 million donation to Foundry

In the lead up to Bell Let’s Talk Day, the Bell-Graham Boeckh Foundation Partnership today announced a $1.5 million donation to St. Paul’s Foundation in support of Foundry to continue to transform youth mental health in BC and share knowledge and best practices around Canada.  

This donation will help to bolster Foundry’s Research team and its Knowledge Translation and Exchange (KTE) team over the next three years to improve integrated health and social services for youth and their families and caregivers in BC and support other emerging Integrated Youth Services (IYS) initiatives around the country and beyond.  

This increased capacity within Foundry’s Research and KTE teams will enable the organization to translate and mobilize research findings as well as data and lessons learned from their 11 (soon to be 19) IYS centres and virtual services to continuously inform and improve services for youth and their families and caregivers.   

Funding from the partnership will also give Foundry greater capacity to continue to support emerging IYS networks, sharing lessons learned and mobilizing knowledge that will help improve access to quality, integrated care and ultimately improve outcomes for all Canadian youth.  

“We are so grateful for the Bell-Graham Boeckh Foundation Partnership’s lifetime support of Foundry,” says Steve Mathias, Executive Directory at Foundry. “As we enter our seventh year, Foundry is at a pivotal moment in our organizational life cycle, with an extraordinary opportunity to translate and share our findings and learnings to benefit not only our network of centres and virtual services, but emerging IYS models across Canada and internationally.

This donation is integral in moving us closer to our vision of transforming youth health and social services. Together, we are supporting youth and their families and caregivers in living a good life.” 

The gift is a part of the Bell-Graham Boeckh Foundation Partnership’s $10M commitment to advance integrated systems of care for youth mental health across Canada through IYS. Cumulatively, Bell and the Graham Boeckh Foundation have contributed more than $3M in philanthropic support to St. Paul’s Foundation, helping to forge the Foundry provincial initiative. 

 “I am incredibly grateful to the Bell-Graham Boeckh Foundation Partnership for this gift,” says Dan Nixon, Youth Engagement Specialist at Foundry. “It will allow Foundry’s research to continue to be a responsive, flexible and dynamic entity empowering youth voices to move evidence into practice quickly.

“With their support, Foundry’s research and knowledge exchange efforts will not only be cutting edge but will continue to ensure meaningful, accountable and intentional partnerships are built alongside youth, family and communities in BC.”  

Foundry BC is grateful for the continued support of our partners, the Bell-Graham Boeck Foundation Partnership and St. Paul’s Foundation for enabling our work in integrated youth services. 

To learn more about this exciting announcement, read the full news release here.

Media coverage:

$1.5M to explore best practices for youth mental health – CTV Vancouver interview with Dan Nixon, Engagement Specialist at Foundry

---

Bell Let’s Talk Day is January 26 – Join the conversation! 

On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long distance call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk, every Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video, and every use of the Bell Let’s Talk Facebook frame or Snapchat lens. All at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access. 

About Bell Let’s Talk 

The largest-ever corporate commitment to mental health in Canada, Bell Let’s Talk is focused on 4 key action pillars – Anti-stigma, Care and Access, Research and Workplace Leadership -and is part of Bell for Better. Since its launch in 2010, Bell Let’s Talk has partnered with more than 1,300 organizations providing mental health services throughout Canada, including hospitals, universities, local community service providers and other care and research organizations. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk. 

 

 

---

Keywords: Bell Let’s Talk, Foundry BC, St. Paul’s Foundation, Graham Boeckh Foundation, Bell-Graham Boeckh Foundation Partnership, integrated youth services, mental health, research, knowledge translation and exchange, youth mental health