BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services

Overview

Health Research BC partners with BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS) to strengthen research that informs care for people with complex mental health and substance use needs. Together, we support evidence-informed solutions that reflect lived and living experience.

The BCMHSUS Research Institute is a leading research organization based in British Columbia, focused on advancing knowledge and improving services related to mental health and substance use. BCMHSUS is a specialized health service within the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), providing a comprehensive array of programs for individuals with complex needs relating to their mental health, substance use, developmental disability, and those involved in the criminal justice system.

Specialized, province-wide services fall into three areas:
• Provincial, specialized services for adults with complex mental health and substance use issues, and those with developmental disability and mental health issues. Our Adult Mental Health and Substance Use program includes the Red Fish Healing Centre, Heartwood Centre for Women, and the Provincial Assessment Centre.
• Forensic Psychiatric Services for people with mental health and substance use challenges for those: who have been remanded by the court for fitness assessment or treatment further to being designated as Not Criminally Responsible due to a Mental Disorder (NCRMD); who have been transferred for involuntary treatment from the provincial correctional system; or who are under community orders to attend treatment. FPS includes a 190-bed secure hospital and seven regional clinics.
• Health, mental health, and substance use services for people who are incarcerated in provincial correctional facilities. Correctional Health Services provides health care services to approximately 18,000 people annually across ten provincial correctional centres across BC.