$2 million for ‘game changing’ youth clinic in Kelowna

A new clinic opening in Kelowna next year promises to completely change the way the city’s young people are cared for.

The integrated youth clinic will pull a host of services together under one roof, creating a “one-stop shop” of medical and support services catering specifically to young people aged 12 to 24.

Candice Giesbrecht of the Canadian Mental Health Association says the importance of such a centre can’t be understated.

“It is a total game changer,” she says. “It’s absolutely necessary if we want to see better outcomes for our young people.

“The way it works right now is that if you’re worried about your son or daughter then you need to go to one place and tell your story, then you need to go to another place and tell you story, then another place and you tell your story. It goes round and round and round and it’s super hard on families,” she explained.

The new clinic is one of six being developed across the province, as part of the British Columbia Integrated Youth Services Initiative. It’s a partnership of more than 20 different organizations, meaning any kind of care a young person needs will be available in the same place.

That means a young person will be able to show up and see a doctor, get counselling, mental health and substance abuse support services, social services and access to community organizations like the Kelowna Boys and Girls Club.

Along with having everything in one location, professionals at the clinic will work closely with one another.

Rather than on expert hearing from a patient, only to refer them to another and another with little communication in between, professionals at the clinic will craft a comprehensive strategy, working together to come up with the best plan for each young patient and sending them directly where they need to go.

Doug Rankmore, the Chief Executive Officer of the KGH Foundation, says this kind of care is way more effective than the system we have in B.C. right now.

“It’s a pretty innovative, new way of delivering services and I think it will be very impactful here in Kelowna,” he said.

Today, the KGH Foundation announced it will help fundraise the remaining $2 million needed to get the clinic up and running, something Rankmore said the foundation is “pretty excited” to be a part of.

As well as being better for young people seeking help, an integrated system of care is also better for taxpayers.

Giesbrecht says that when a young person shows up in the emergency room it costs the hospital about $2,000, and the kid is usually discharged after they are treated.

Giving proper, comprehensive care before it gets to that point keeps young people out of the emergency room, freeing up space for other patients and ultimately saving money.

“As a taxpayer, as a mom, as a social worker, on every single front this is better,” she says.

Giesbrecht says that, if all goes well, the clinic is slated to open up in late spring or early summer of next year. In the coming weeks, she said the partners will reveal its official name.