VCH staff attend 2nd annual Tertiary Mental Health and Substance Use Conference.

On November 2, 2017, over 160 employees, physicians and leaders from Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health, and Providence Health Care gathered for the second annual Tertiary Mental Health and Substance Use (TMHSU) conference in Coquitlam.

Details of the conference

The conference, months in the making, was a joint venture between Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), Providence Health Care (PHC) and Fraser Health Authority (FHA). This year’s theme explored rights and responsibilities from the patient, employee and organizational perspectives.

Experts presented on subjects including ethics, risk concerns, and the Mental Health Act.  In addition participants attended breakout sessions on harm reduction, client and staff engagement, and managing co-morbities.

Poster presentations showcased research projects conducted in each health authority. Family and consumer involvement deeply enriched the day. Zarina Sajoo, Family Advisor to the VCH/PHC Regional Tertiary MHSU Adult Leadership Committee and CEAN member, introduced the conference. Consumer Advisor Zerom Seyoum shared his poster on a user-led research project, and Renea Mohammed, VCH Peer Support Program Coordinator and person with lived experience, provided a thought-provoking and moving wrap-up to the conference.

Wendy Chusid, Co-Chair of the Conference Planning Committee and Regional Leader for TMHSU for VCH & PHC and summed up the event,“This was a wonderful collaboration between health authorities and an opportunity to network, gain new information and begin to quench our thirst to do better.”