B.C.’s first urgent care response centre has opened in Surrey. The Surrey Mental Health and Substance Use Urgent Care Response Centre will be a new resource for community care providers to quickly connect people with speciality services and will divert patients from emergency departments to a more therapeutic environment.

“When you or a loved one needs urgent support for a mental health or substance use challenge, the last thing you want to hear is take a number,” said Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “This centre will provide easy-to-access services where people ask for help once and get help fast, all in one welcoming place”

Located in the Charles Barham Pavilion on the Surrey Memorial Hospital campus, the Surrey Mental Health and Substance Use Urgent Care Response Centre is in close proximity to the emergency department, public transit and patient parking.

The centre is an integral part of A Pathway to Hope, B.C.’s recently launched roadmap for making mental health and addictions care better and more accessible for people in British Columbia.

With a welcoming, patient-centered and culturally appropriate environment, care providers at the centre will focus on managing a person’s urgent needs. Patients, who are referred by community care providers or diverted from emergency departments, will work with staff to identify their needs and build on coping skills and resilience while creating a treatment plan.

The centre features nature-inspired interior design, with private spaces for patients and their families while they wait to receive care; a group room available for healing circles, smudging ceremonies and drumming; and laundry and shower services.