Member, Vancouver Family Advisory Committee for Mental Health and Substance Use Services

We need your voice now more than ever!

Background: Many of us are looking after loved ones who have serious mental illnesses and/or substance dependencies. Often, they are unable to advocate for themselves and there are too many heartbreaking stories as a result. You might feel that you have no time to advocate or that it’s not something you think you could do. But you can and the Vancouver Family Advisor Committee (to Vancouver Coastal Health's Mental Health and Substance Use services) is a great place to start.

Since its inception 2004, the role of the Vancouver Family Advisory Committee (FAC) has been to represent the diverse voices of families within Vancouver Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) services and act in advisory, advocacy and educational roles to improve the care experience. Together, with the Family Support and Involvement Team (a team of dedicated professionals created out of the FAC and working from within VCH), we have made great strides towards accomplishing our goals. But there’s so much more to do.

FAC's objectives are to:

• Facilitate the development and maintenance of a culture that supports family involvement
• Ensure that services reflect best practices of client and family-centered care and
• Support the ongoing development of a culture of recovery.

Membership: Membership consists of family members, service users and service providers.

If you use the services of VCH-MHSU or care for a family member who does, please consider joining.

Contact us at vancouverfac@vch.ca to find out more!