On December 19, 2014, governance of Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction (BCMHA) will be transferred to PHSA. Since this transfer of service was announced earlier this fall, we have been working with the leadership team at the Centre, PHSA, the unions and our employees to support a smooth transition for clients and staff.

I would like to thank all staff and physicians for their support and ongoing commitment to patient centred care during the transition. In particular, I’d like to thank Justine Dodds, Crynos Mabiza and Jane Sun for their strong leadership, as well as Dr. Vijay Seethapathy, who is the medical manager at BCMHA.

About the Burnaby Centre for Mental Health & Addiction

The BCMHA opened in July 2008. It is a provincial resource providing services for the stabilization and treatment of people facing complex and severe concurrent disorders of mental health, addiction, physical health and behavioural issues. The centre is a 100-bed secure residential facility with 23 assessment and stabilization, and 77 beds for treatment.

While located in Fraser Health, the centre was operated by VCH and funded by PHSA under a Service Level Agreement. Over the past six years, more than 1,300 clients from communities throughout BC have received services at BCMHA.

About the Transfer

The transition of operations will have minimal impact on clients, staff and programming at BCMHA. The level of care, current model of care and workflow will see minimal changes. Services offered at the centre will continue to be available to clients of VCH as BCMHA is a provincial program. The transfer of operations will not impact referrals. Staff, physicians and stakeholders should continue to use existing referral processes for clients to access the Burnaby Centre.

Approximately 100 full-time and 50 to 60 casual VCH staff have been transferred to PHSA. These include RNs, LPNs, social workers, support workers, and music therapists.

We have created a centre of excellence for mental health and addiction at the Burnaby Centre, and have consistently met and or exceeded all service level agreements. Through the transfer to PHSA, all parties will work in partnership to ensure excellence achieved at the Burnaby Centre is sustained and built upon.

For more information, contact Monica McAlduff, Director: Mental Health and Addictions Vancouver Acute & Tertiary