Message from ICMH

It is with great pleasure that the ICMHA Board wishes to announce the selection of our new Executive Director, Chris Forester. Chris is from our community and is well suited for this very important role. He has experience in not-for-profit management, 10 years working with Psycho Social Rehabilitation (PSR) programs and peer based initiatives, community engagement and team leadership, coupled with 14 years’ experience in social housing and mental health. 

The board would also like to extend our profound appreciation to Angela Treverton who has done a wonderful job in the Acting Executive Director role and who is looking forward to welcoming Chris on to our team and continuing her role as Director of Finance.  And we would like to further extend our appreciation to all our ICMHA staff for the tremendous services you provide every day to our community. The Board is looking forward to all of us welcoming and supporting Chris in the Executive Director role as we continue to deliver all the important programs so essential to the region.

On behalf of the ICMHA Board

Bob Clark

Board President

Message from the Board

We would like to share with you that our Executive Director, Kim Duffus, has decided to move on as of Friday May 14th, from Island Community Mental Health. We wish Kim all the best and extend our appreciation to her for her dedicated service over the last seven years. The board is pleased to announce that Angela Treverton will once again be our Acting Executive Director. Also, please be advised that the board of directors will soon be launching a search committee for a permanent Executive Director replacement. We thank all of our partners and supporters for your ongoing support of ICMH and look forward to our continued relationships in providing vital mental health services to our community.

Thank you,

ICMH Board of Directors

Official Launch: Imagine After Hours!

The PSR Collaborative is a collection of organizations, including ICMHA, who offer opportunities for people in mental health recovery to connect through social activities and programs. They have officially launched a drop-in social gathering space called “Imagine After Hours” located at 31 Erie Street, in collaboration with Imagine Studio Cafe.

Due to limitations with physically gathering, Imagine After Hours is currently operating online! Find out more and check out their virtual events on their website, Facebook and YouTube!

Check out their video on YouTube!

Message for Staff

Message from the President on behalf of the Board of Trustees:

We wish to acknowledge all of our ICMH staff, funders, partners and supporters for their remarkable work and dedication to allow our agency to provide the vital services we provide to our clients and our community. It has been an extraordinary year of challenges for all of us but by pulling together, being creative, staying safe and caring deeply, we continue to deliver the essential support of our many services to all those relying on ICMH. Thank you again for all your efforts in our collective journey of addressing the many mental health challenges our community faces on our road to mental wellness.

Skinner Street Update

Please be advised:

Due to the current pandemic situation we are currently asking our staff to work varied hours between home and Skinner Street. Please be aware that we are monitoring our phones on a regular basis and although we may not answer your call immediately we will get back to you as soon as possible. If you are already connected with a coach please reach out to them directly. If you are in crisis please contact the Vancouver Island Crisis Line at 1-888-494-3888 or the BC Crisis line at 1-866-661-3311.

Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time for everyone.

Thank You Big Wheel Community Foundation!

We want to give a huge THANK YOU to Big Wheel Community Foundation for providing our frontline staff at McCauley Lodge with some delicious burgers! With a location so close to us, we’ve always been big fans of their milkshakes and burgers. Thanks Big Wheel for being an awesome part of our community!!

Check out Big Wheel’s website to find out more about how they are helping to support our community: https://bigwheelburger.com/community/

#thankyou #BigWheelCommunityFoundation #BigWheelBurger

Board Members Call Out

Island Community Mental Health Association is currently seeking candidates to join our Board of Directors.

We are looking for individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences who are interested in helping to fulfill our vision of helping individuals experiencing mental health and substance use issues achieve personal recovery in an inclusive society.

Please email your Resume and Cover Letter Attention: Board Member Application to reception@icmha.ca

We look forward to hearing from you.

 

See our current Board of Directors

Phase 2 – COVID-19 Update

We want to thank our staff and community for your extraordinary support over these past few months. We have faced some of the most difficult challenges many of us have ever experienced and yet, together, we have maintained meaningful connections and found a path.

As our province begins to reopen, we want to update you on the health and safety guidelines we have put in place that will help protect our staff, clients, and community. Throughout this crisis we have followed the guidance of our local health authorities and we will continue to look to these authorities for guidance as we moved forward over the coming weeks and months.

We will be practicing the following safety measures and building upon the rigorous and strict sanitation standards already in place. This is by no means an exhaustive list but includes the following:

  • No handshaking.
  • Practice good hygiene:
    • Frequently wash your hands.
    • Cover coughs and sneezes.
    • Avoid touching your face.
  • Maintain a minimum distance of six (6) feet from other people. Green tape has been placed on the floor at 125 Skinner Street to serve as clear guides.
  • If reasonable physical distancing cannot be maintained, individuals must wear a mask.
  • A plexiglas shield has been installed at the reception area.
  • Occupancy limit signs have been posted on all non-office rooms.
  • If you have symptoms of a cold, flu, or COVID-19, stay at home and keep a safe distance from others until those symptoms have completely disappeared. If you are unsure of what the symptoms are, please visit the BC Centre for Disease Control website.
  • If your symptoms are those of COVID-19 please contact the public health office immediately to obtain guidance and a test to confirm your diagnosis. You must also communicate your test result to Human Resources immediately.
  • If you are at greater risk, assess your own risk tolerance and communicate with Human Resources about applying extra precautions in your work space.

At 125 Skinner Street

  • Offices may only be shared in spaces where six (6) feet of physical distancing can be reasonably maintained at all times.
    • Those who share offices and cannot maintain six (6) feet of separation are to use one of the group rooms as a work space, or communicate with your manager about working staggered hours or from your home office space.
  • Group meetings are encouraged to continue virtually. Groups must only take place within the building if physical distancing and cleanliness policies can also be maintained. The group meeting space must be sanitized after each use.
  • Personnel must be mindful to not congregate in previous social areas such as the staff kitchen, downstairs kitchen, and the printer room. Six (6) feet of physical distancing continues to apply to these spaces.
  • Hallways and staircases are only to be used by one person at a time.
  • ICMH continues to have full-time cleaners, however personnel are encouraged to continue to disinfect high touch areas after use.

 

We thank you for your unwavering support during these unprecedented times.

Victoria Distillers & Nezza Naturals Donations to ICMH

We want to give a huge Thank you to Victoria Distillers & Nezza Naturals for their generous donation of hand sanitizer to ICMHs Licensed Care Facilities (McCauley Lodge, Greenridge Place, & Eagle Rock Heights)! And Thank you to Maximum Express Courier for their Delivery Services!

It’s amazing to see our community come together during this time and we are so thankful for all of you. Victoria Distillers and Nezza Naturals have teamed up to produce hand sanitizer for essential health care services, hospitals, and first responders to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Maximum Express Courier saw what these two local companies were doing and quickly jumped on board to help deliver all these products.

All of us at ICMH are so thankful for the community support during this pandemic and are so proud of the way our local community, province, and country are working together to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to keep us safe and well.

Here is Candice, our Director of Licensed Care, holding up two of the donated cans of hand sanitizer.

#VictoriaDistillers #NezzaNaturals #MaximumExpressCourier #thankyou

ICMH Response to COVID-19 – UPDATED

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation we have made the decision to close our head office location. Instead we will be working remotely, but we are still working to help as many of our clients and residents as we can. Our phones are still being monitored on a regular basis so if you would like to leave a message at reception we will get back to you as soon as we are able.

If you require immediate assistance with your mental health, please call the BC Crisis Line at 1-800-784-2433.