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Foundry Kelowna celebrates five years of supporting youth and families.

November 1, 2022 By Communications Leave a Comment


Kelowna, BC, November 1, 2022
– Foundry Kelowna, an integrated mental health clinic for youth aged 12-24 and their families, is celebrating five years of being in the community. Since opening its doors in 2017, more than 4,500 youth and 3,000 families have accessed mental health services at the centre.

Billed as a ‘proof of concept’, Kelowna was the second Foundry location to open in BC. The goal for the innovative model is to fundamentally change the way youth and their families’ access mental health care through an integrated approach with a focus on prevention and early intervention. Foundry Kelowna, operated by CMHA Kelowna, offers mental health and substance use counselling and supports, primary care, in addition to an array of social services such as access to housing, employment, income, and peer supports. Now, five years later, there are more than 20 Foundry locations open across the province.

Mike Gawliuk, CMHA Kelowna CEO says the demand for the services was almost immediate. “What initially sparked the journey of Foundry Kelowna, was the understanding that there was a gap in reaching young people with mild-to-moderate mental health challenges. We knew then that early intervention and prevention was key to supporting youth in our community.”
Gawliuk says the number of young people and their caregivers who are in need has increased with the onset of the pandemic. “At Foundry Kelowna, we adapted and expanded services in order to respond to the need during incredible uncertainty. Providing virtual services to youth and families during the pandemic was a mainstay for us in terms of continuing to offer help. 2021 also saw the launch of Foundry Kelowna’s Wellness on Wheels – a first of its kind mobile unit that travels to West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, and Lake Country to offer services for young people in those communities.”

Collaboration and partnership have been cornerstones of the overall Foundry model. “No one agency can do it all,” adds Gawliuk. “By working together, agencies and service providers in the community have a better chance to make it easier for young people to access care and navigate systems. The pandemic made collaboration much more challenging and we are looking forward to finding better ways to support youth in our community. We are so grateful to our many partners over the years.

In 2017, the community caught the vision and really helped make Foundry Kelowna a reality through generous donations, service partnerships and simply daring to do things differently. We look forward to the many years of working together to support youth and families in our community.”

About Foundry Kelowna

Operated by CMHA Kelowna, Foundry Kelowna is an integrated youth and family clinic that unites partner organizations to provide coordinated services addressing the primary care, mental health, substance use, counselling and social service needs of youth 12-24 and their families. Foundry Kelowna supports young peoples’ well-being by intervening early so youth can find the help they need, when they need it. To learn more, please visit:
Foundry Kelowna.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: CMHA, CMHA Kelowna, Foundry Kelowna, mental health, youth mental health, youth support

New mobile unit provides greater access to mental health and substance services for Central Okanagan youth

May 26, 2021 By Communications Leave a Comment

KELOWNA – Youth aged 12-24 in the Central Okanagan will soon have low-barrier access to health and mental health care through Foundry Kelowna’s new wellness on wheels service. Set to launch this summer, this new mobile unit, comprised of a retrofitted motorhome, will travel to West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and Lake Country, to places where youth are – so they can more easily access the support they need, when they need it.

Operated by CMHA Kelowna and co-created with and for youth, Foundry Kelowna’s wellness on wheels project engaged more than 100 diverse youth from across the Central Okanagan to ensure the initial concept, look and feel, and services meet the unique needs of young people in this region.

This first-of-its-kind in BC mobile unit will initially be reaching out to youth in the Central Okanagan starting mid-June 2021, providing drop-in counselling and navigation supports, with plans to expand service levels by late August 2021.

Foundry Kelowna’s wellness on wheels service is an extension of Foundry’s provincial model of care, which is an integral part of A Pathway to Hope, BC’s roadmap for making mental health and addictions care better for people in British Columbia.

“I have heard from many parents that their children need access to more mental health and substance use services close to home and without delay”, said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “It is innovative and low-barrier services like Foundry’s new Kelowna wellness on wheels project that will make life-saving supports more easily accessible for young people in Central Okanagan. I look forward to hearing how this service is making a positive impact in the region.”

“Since opening less than four years ago, more than four thousand young people and a thousand families have come to get help from Foundry Kelowna and the numerous partners who provide services there. What we’ve learned when talking to young people about their mental health is that there are still barriers to getting help,” said Shelagh Turner, CEO of CMHA Kelowna. “With this wellness on wheels service, we are eliminating geographic obstacles to care by bringing help and support to young people in communities throughout the Central Okanagan. It amazes me how the community has come together for this project. Their generosity is truly what made it possible.”

Young people actively working with Foundry Kelowna, as well as youth living in the communities where the mobile unit will operate, played a key role in the determination of the kinds of services provided.

“Wellness on wheels is a resource that is meant to increase accessibility to all the youth that struggle to find a way to come to Foundry Kelowna whether that’s because of transportation or anxiety,” said Anansha Gounder, Foundry Kelowna Peer Supporter and Youth Advisory and Action Committee lead. “I am so excited for this service to be in the community and help young people get the help they truly deserve! Wellness on wheels is going to benefit youth so much!”

Steve Mathias, Executive Director, Foundry BC:
“Whether it’s because of transportation or financial challenges, or perhaps barriers due to stigma, there are youth who are not able to get to the help they need in our province. Finding the right supports should not be a difficult endeavour for our young people. Like our new virtual services, Foundry Kelowna’s wellness on wheels service addresses gaps and eliminates barriers so that youth in the Central Okanagan can get help more easily and thrive.”

Learn More:
To learn more about Foundry Kelowna, visit: foundrybc.ca/kelowna
To learn more about Foundry, visit: foundrybc.ca

We are immensely grateful for the generous community support that helped make Foundry Kelowna’s Wellness on Wheels service a reality. This first of it’s kind in BC, youth mobile mental health unit would not have been possible without the support of a Province of BC Capital Gaming grant a private donor to the Foundry network and local corporate, individual and special event donors. Thank you!

Filed Under: News Tagged With: british columbia, community, Foundry BC, Foundry Kelowna, mental health, Okanagan, support, Wellness on Wheels, youth mental health

Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant supports a mobile mental health unit for youth

January 22, 2020 By Communications Leave a Comment

 

Foundry Kelowna Youth Advisory & Action Committee and host of Bell Media’s AM1150 News, Phil Johnson

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Kelowna is pleased to receive a $15,000 grant from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund to support a youth mental health mobile unit in the Kelowna area.

CMHA Kelowna, the operator and lead agency for Foundry Kelowna, is working to provide better access to mental health services for youth who live in the Central Okanagan.

Both CMHA Kelowna and Foundry Kelowna are amongst the 8 outstanding organizations featured in the Bell Let’s Talk Day 2020 campaign, which highlights Canadian organizations taking action by providing supports and services to make a difference for people experiencing mental health challenges.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Bell Community Grant, Bell Let's Talk Day, CMHA Kelowna, Foundry Kelowna, Foundry Mobile, Foundry Mobile Funding, youth mental health

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