Since its establishment in October 2015, the Clearwater Local Action Team (LAT) has been working collaboratively at identifying and addressing gaps in mental health/substance use services and supports to ensure that access is readily available for children and youth struggling with for example addictions, anxiety, depression, and any other mental health issues.
The LAT is comprised of community members and organizations who care for children and youth struggling with mental health and substance use issues. It includes representatives from Ministry of Children and Family Development, Child and Youth Mental Health, local schools, RCMP, Interior Health, Yellowhead Community Services, family and specialist physicians, Aboriginal services, as well as youth and families with lived experience.
The Clearwater team is part of a partnership of Doctors of BC and the B.C. government – the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use (CYMHSU) Collaborative.
The Collaborative now involves over 2,000 members province-wide, all working not just on a local level but also system-wide towards the shared goal of increasing services and supports by addressing service delivery gaps, coordination of care, and communication barriers.
“We feel it is very important to improve care for children, youth, and their families in our community,” says project lead Margot Venema. “Since the Clearwater LAT team was established we have been working hard at achieving this.”
The LAT is planning an interactive community education session around substance use for youth, their parents, and any interested community members. Watch for the announcement in Spring of 2017.