An innovative mental health resource from Salt Spring Island is featured in the April 2018 GPSC Column of the BC Medical Journal, highlighting its value as a customizable resource for all BC communities. The Salt Spring Island Youth Suicide Intervention Toolkit—a joint project of the Salt Spring Island Local Action Team (LAT) of the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use (CYMHSU) Collaborative and the Salt Spring Island Chapter of the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice— has so far been repurposed and distributed in 11 communities throughout BC.
Three versions of the toolkit are available for different audiences: one for youth and their friends, one for professionals, and one for parents and caregivers. All versions of the toolkit provide information on supports and resources in the community, crisis lines and apps, self-management strategies, and ways to identify risk factors. Information included is practical and evidence-based, using language that is simple and jargon-free.
For information on accessing the customizable toolkit design files, contact ruralandremote@divisionsbc.ca.