BC Liberal Interim Leader Shirley Bond is calling on the provincial government to increase mental health supports for youth in the province.
Last week, a letter was penned to Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson expressing concern on how the pandemic has hurt children and youth.
In May of last year, BC’s Representative for Children and Youth confirmed over 2,500 youth were on waitlists seeking immediate care.
Bond told Vista Radio this needs to change.
“We are now looking at an average two-month wait time and you can imagine how difficult that is for families to adjust to and try to manage and to try and provide the support their young people need. We are calling for the government to immediately increase support.”
Bond stated the list of challenges our youth continues to face is growing by the day.
“Research is showing that they are facing anxiety, potentially post-traumatic stress disorder, there has been depression and we continue to see that waitlists are on the rise so we think it’s essential that we are looking at additional resources.”
“What we have seen is further stress and isolation, we need to make sure we need to reduce anxiety. The most important thing is we try to deal with the issues related to mental health and wellness early and the earlier the better. When we see waitlists of 2,500 young people in British Columbia and that is continuing to grow we know now that will increase if the guidelines around the pandemic will continue.”
She added clinics like Foundry, which offered walk-in supports before the pandemic are now requiring appointments, thus causing longer waitlists.
The pandemic has hit young people especially hard.
Today @TrevHal & @KirkpatrickWVC called on the NDP to immediately increase funding for B.C.’s youth mental health services to help address the strain COVID-19 has placed on an already-stretched system. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/WRU2yF6GNs
— BC Liberal Caucus (@BCLiberalCaucus) January 20, 2021
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