Home Business & Economy Health Care Sector Construction tour at upcoming Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub

Construction tour at upcoming Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub

West shore MLAs Mitzi Dean & Ravi Parmar have advocated for the facility & new service model.

island health, west shore, colwood, construction
Interior construction is still underway at the Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub, June 7, 2024. [Island Social Trends]
BC 2024 Provincial Election news analysis

Saturday June 8, 2024 | COLWOOD, BC [Updated June 10, 2024]

by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. | Island Social Trends


Sometime this fall a new Island Health facility will open in Colwood. It’s called the Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub.

Located in a new strip mall on Allandale Road — just beyond the major intersection of Sooke Road (Highway 14) and Veterans Memorial Parkway — the ground-level one-level facility will serve residents of the west shore region of Greater Victoria with mental health and substance use services.

mitzi dean, ravi parmar, island health, west shore
Westshore MLAs Mitzi Dean (Esquimalt-Metchosin) and Ravi Parmar (Langford-Juan de Fuca) on a construction tour at Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub, on June 7 2024 in Colwood. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]

Meanwhile, the future health services facility is a roughed-in series of rooms with some components of modern design already installed (kind of like putting in the landscaping before finishing the house).

681 allandale road, colwood, map, island health
Location of the Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub at 681 Allandale Road in Colwood. [Google map]

Effective interior design concept:

Overall, there is a sense that the operational space, once completed, will be both spacious and cozy. The design concept offers relaxing and inspirational components which is aiming to be part of a welcoming space for clients who have experienced trauma, mental health issues, or are coping with addiction.

The hub’s team will include experts from various fields including psychiatry, addiction medicine, nursing, counselling, occupational therapy and peer support. A seamless care experience is the goal. The team will adapt to each person’s changing needs over time, aiming to ensure consistent ongoing support throughout the person’s recovery.

design concept, mental health centre, island health, colwood
Design concept for Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub in Colwood. [Island Health]

Who was there:

On hand for a construction tour on the late afternoon of Friday June 7 were two west shore region MLAs: Mitzi Dean (whose riding Esquiamlt-Metchosin includes Colwood) and Ravi Parmar (whose riding Langford-Juan de Fuca is right next door).

Yesterday’s tour was led by the manager for the facility, Mary Morrison.

Also on the tour attended by about 20 to 30 people along the way, was Island Health Board Chair Leah Hollins, and several health authority staffers. Acting Mayor for Colwood, David Grove, was also on hand.

dumont tirecraft, fleet

Two West Shore RCMP officers attended. The detachment now includes a mental health team (officer and nurse) that attends calls.

Media on tour included journalists from regional publication Island Social Trends and also Black Press, and a photographer from the Times Colonist. Government staffers of course tag along to capture photos and audio as well.

district of metchosin

Groundbreaking in two ways:

Mitzi Dean appropriately pointed out that not only will the facility be new but its operational setup will also be groundbreaking. Essentially it’s a one-stop shop for clients with mental health, addictions and trauma-related issues.

paint, construction
Interior painting is underway at the Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub, June 7, 2024. [Island Social Trends]
worksite, construction, manuals
A well-organized construction worksite at the Westshore Metnal Health and Substance Use Service Hub in Colwood. [June 7, 2024 | Island Social Trends]

Following the idea as seen at Urgent Primary Care Centres where a range of health professionals are on site or can be accessed from a central location, the Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub will offer a fluid set of social work and health care professionals who will aim to usher clients from where they’re at to a point of greater health and function.

leah hollins, island health, board chair
Island Health Board Chair Leah Hollins expressed gratitude to Mitzi Dean, MLA and the BC NDP government for their insight to develop an integrated mental health service in the west shore, during construction tour on June 7, 2024. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]

Funding is essentially provincial, essentially an operating and capital combination of funding through Island Health and the provincial government.

Hollins in her remarks to the gathered tour participants said she felt that the current government has had the mindset to create an integrated space like the Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub, that not all governments would take this approach toward local service for “low to moderate mental health and addiction needs and connecting those with higher needs to specialized care”.

Hollins called the new approach a “coordinated and effective care system”.

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Serving the west shore:

Dean is particularly keen to point out that the facility will serve the fast-growing west shore region which includes Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Sooke, and the Juan de Fuca areas like East Sooke and as far beyond as Port Renfrew (for which Highway 14 access is helpful in that regard).

She told Island Social Trends that she and Parmar regularly communicate to the NDP government caucus about the need for any range of services to be located in the west shore (given that transportation to the core areas of Victoria and Saanich is a challenge of time and resource for many residents in the west shore). It helps government “be aware of the needs of the west shore by osmosis,” says Dean.

langford, traffic

As a long-time social work career professional, Dean commented to the facility coordinator during the tour that Tuesday to Saturday operating hours would be suitable for busy working people.

Gunning for re-election:

Of course both Parmar and Dean used the tour opportunity to promote their re-election bids in the upcoming provincial election.

mitzi dean, ravi parmar, island health, colwood
Westshore MLAs Mitzi Dean (Esquimalt-Metchosin) and Ravi Parmar (Langford-Juan de Fuca) on a construction tour at Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Service Hub, on June 7 2024 in Colwood. [Mary P Brooke / Island Social Trends]

Set for October 19, 2024 the election has 93 ridings (up from 87), including now three electoral areas in the west shore, up from two.

mitzi dean, mla, constituency, ad

Mitzi Dean will be the NDP candidate in Esquimalt-Colwood (which includes VicWest and View Royal, but no longer Metchosin); she was elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2020.

Ravi Parmar will be the NDP candidate for Langford-Highlands (just those two municipalities, losing Sooke from the current footprint); he was first elected in a by-election in June 2023.

The new Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding will include Sooke and Metchosin.

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