Mental Health & Substance Use Resources

Crisis Lines

If you are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, please contact one of the crisis lines below:

Vancouver Island Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888

Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 9-8-8

  • A safe space to talk or text, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

KUU-US Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717

  • Resource for Indigenous people on Vancouver Island and across the province. Support is available 24-hours a day, every day of the year.
  • Adult Crisis Line: 250-723-4050      
  • Youth Crisis Line: 250-723-2040

Information and Support

Use of Unregulated Substances 

Children and Youth

News & Events

Photo of Bruce Saunders, Laurel Saunders and Paul Saunders

From a hospital theatre to a provincial honour: The story behind Movie Mondays

June 14, 1993. A Monday night like any other, but one that would quietly spark something lasting. Bruce Saunders walks into the auditorium at the Eric Martin Pavilion at Royal Jubilee Hospital with a mix of purpose and nerves. He sets up the data projector, checks the cables, slides in a VHS tape, and brings Cannery Row—John Steinbeck’s tender ode to misfits and community—to life on the screen.

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people laughing at the dinner table

Holiday Health Guide for a joyful season

The holiday season brings joy and celebration, but it can also bring about challenges—from changes in health care schedules to added emotional stress.

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Hand supporting man sitting down

From silence to support – starting the conversation about suicide

On World Suicide Prevention Day, Island Health mental health and injury prevention experts are encouraging everyone to break the silence surrounding suicide and to make space for help and hope.

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