Who We Are

Specialized mental health services for BC
BC Mental Health & Addiction Services is an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), providing specialized tertiary mental health services to all residents of BC. Its president and CEO, Leslie M. Arnold, has an office located at Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam as well as an office at the recently opened (January 2007) mental health building at Children's & Women's Hospital in Vancouver.

RVH and FPSC administratively aligned
Since the creation of PHSA in December 2001 there have been significant changes in the way mental health services are managed in BC. Riverview Hospital and the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission – formerly independent entities, each with its own CEO – have moved to an aligned administrative model supporting both sites. The value of this new model is evident not only through financial savings, but also through the benefits of shared resources and improved collaboration.

A new vision of mental health service and delivery
The scope of BCMHAS represents a new provincial vision of mental health service planning and delivery, including adult and forensic psychiatric services, but also child and adolescent mental health programs delivered at BC Children's Hospital, and the provincial specialized eating disorders program.

Creating a system sustainable into the future
This new administrative model, with one president responsible for all services, is a step towards the creation of a more effective and efficient provincial mental health system that is sustainable for the future.