A new provincial framework aimed at preventing suicide is being rolled out across B.C., including at East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook.
The guide, developed by the Canadian Mental Health Association’s B.C. Division and the provincial government, gives health-care workers clear steps to better support people who are at risk for suicide.
It applies to adults receiving care in emergency rooms, psychiatric units and outpatient mental-health services.
Health Minister Josie Osborne said the framework will help ensure people in crisis get the care they need.
It also aims to reduce stigma and remove barriers to care, especially for Indigenous patients.
The plan includes early screening, safer discharge practices and more follow-up after patients leave the hospital.
It was shaped by people with lived experience and focuses on person-centred care.
East Kootenay Regional Hospital is among many facilities expected to adopt the new approach as part of the province’s planned effort to improve mental-health and substance-use services.
More information is available at: helpstartshere.gov.bc.ca
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