The KGH Foundation is announcing a $1.7 million relief effort to fund desperately needed support for mental health care, right here at home.
“Mental well-being has been a critical concern in the region for some time, affecting people of all ages, genders, and socio-economic conditions, impacting some communities disproportionately more than others,” says Ramchuk.
“The pandemic has magnified the crisis.”
From January 2019 to December 2021, there was a 41% increase in moderate to severe mental health referrals in the Interior Health region.
The foundation is bringing together Okanagan-based, acute and community mental health care providers for their latest fundraising campaign that promises to provide both immediate funding for existing mental health care programs critically stressed under the weight of increased demand brought on by the pandemic, and resource collaboration and innovation in support of system change.
In 2017, the KGH Foundation partnered with CMHA Kelowna to raise $2 million to open Foundry Kelowna, an integrated mental health care centre for youth aged 12 – 24. Since its opening, Foundry has been a game-changer for thousands of young people and hundreds of families navigating mental health issues every year.