Left to right: Dr. Anthony Barale, VCH psychiatrist; Dr. Peter Gibson, VCH medical lead; Earl Freeman, consumer; Marilyn Giesbrecht, family member; Wayne Rowe, Mayor of Gibsons, Sandra Mackay, consumer; Carol Louie, Sechelt Nation; Wendy Hansson, chief operating officer, VCH.
Members of the Gibsons community and the Squamish and Sechelt First Nations joined VCH staff members on Thursday October 18, 2012 to officially open Sumac Place—Vancouver Coastal Health’s newest facility.
Videos: Squamish Nation Blessing Ceremony Pt 1 | Squamish Nation Blessing Ceremony Pt 2
Photos: VCH Flickr Photo stream
About Sumac Place
Sumac Place is a new 28-bed tertiary mental health rehabilitation and specialized residential facility. The program provides individuals experiencing severe and persistent mental illnesses with a treatment environment that supports and enhances the process of recovery in order to develop the skills and access the community resources necessary to successfully transition to the secondary community and residential mental health services available within VCH. The program offers a longer stay of up to two years or more to support individuals in their recovery journey.
Sumac Place will have a client population that includes consumers from the Sunshine Coast and outside of the Sunshine Coast, but who reside within Vancouver Coastal Health. Sunshine Coast residents will have full use of tertiary mental health services VCH is developing in other areas of the health authority as well.
The target date to begin receiving clients at Sumac Place is November 15, 2012.
The recovery model of care
The program promotes the belief that a person can heal and become well from the most severe and persistent mental illness and move beyond a debilitating psychiatric diagnosis to a meaningful quality of life. Onsite peer support, psychiatric assessment and treatment, social work services, occupational and recreational therapies support the unique recovery needs of each individual. Program participants are also supported in their efforts to access community resources such as supported employment programs, consumer-run peer support and self-help programs and community programs. The value of natural support systems is also emphasized and individuals are therefore supported in their efforts to establish meaningful connections with their families and within the local community.
Related Links
- Renovations progressing for new tertiary mental health site in Gibsons
- Going Coastal: Mental health jobs on Sunshine Coast have a lot to offer
- Sumac Place set to open its doors November 5
- Sumac Place handout [PDF]