Systems Change.

The BC Crisis Line Network is actively engaged in systems change and action to address access to mental health crisis care and suicide intervention across British Columbia. We aim to tackle the root causes of the challenges in a system that has not fully reached its potential and contribute to changes in the province's health, mental health and public safety mandates that lead to lasting change, trauma-informed care, and sustainable, equitable funding. 

Priorities.

• Creation of a mental health crisis response system for folks experiencing crisis, which would include:
  • ​Fully accessible 24/7 crisis phone/chat/text services
  • Mobile crisis response teams
  • ​Community-based crisis respite facilities outside of the hospital and justice systems​
• Coordination of crisis care across 9-1-1, BC Ambulance, and Police services with the goal of directing all crisis response to a crisis centre for immediate support, suicide risk assessment, crisis de-escalation, and bridging to follow-up care
• Legislation to direct cell phone levies to fund 9-1-1/Crisis Line services
• Incorporation of provincial/local crisis lines into a single virtual call centre to ensure every call gets answered and allows crisis lines to scale up to meet the higher demand for crisis support.
• Coordination with TalkSuicide & CAMH: The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to support the 9-8-8 national crisis line number, which will be answered by local crisis centres​

Systems Change Recommendations.

​The Network, in consultation and often collaboration with community partners, health authorities, municipal governments, and the provincial government, have developed key recommendations to achieve systems change:

1. Ensure people in crisis have access to immediate support from suicide and crisis hotlines, and route distress calls involving mental health and crisis from 9-1-1 and BC Ambulance to the BC Crisis Line Network
2. Expand funding to Crisis Line services by legislating a cellphone levy, as has been done in eight other Provinces across Canada
3. Create and appropriately fund a continuum of response to mental health, addictions and other complex social issues, using the “least restrictive, lowest cost” approach with a focus on collaborative crisis resolution, trauma-informed practice, and community-led services
4. Handle suicide crisis through 9-8-8, the national suicide prevention line, as part of a National Suicide Prevention Plan.
   
5. Handle provincial crisis and mental health emergencies through 310-6789, allowing immediate support and access to Provincial supports for individual crisis (personal loss, housing loss, mental health crisis) and large-scale crisis (climate emergencies)

The BC Crisis Line Network provides advice and recommendations to Provincial and Federal Ministries and Committees on topics related to suicide, mental health, and crisis.

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Mental Health Crisis Response System​.

We support a crisis mental health model that leans into least restrictive and least costly approaches for British Columbians, a model that is trauma-informed and puts a person's dignity and agency first.

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Reports to the Provincial Government.​

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Working with Municipalities.

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