FSI Training Explorations ~ Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions

SESSION INFO:  Please join Scott Carlson, Gina Gardner and Rupinder Johal on April 14th at 10 am for Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions

Staff from various departments of the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions will participate in a 2 hour participatory presentation on the work at the Ministry and facilitate in an interactive discussion with peer mentors regarding existing gaps for FSIBC families. Areas of ministry work that will be presented include: providing an overview of mental health and substance use related initiatives that intersect with FSIBC families; new and upcoming initiatives in the province, and the experience of working across ministries to strengthen integration of policy and services. MMHA staff would like to hear from the peer volunteers about their experiences with mental health and substance use services – barriers and opportunities – to inform strategic policy development.

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Scott Carlson is the Director of Child and Youth Partnerships and Planning in the Child, youth and mental health division of the BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. His work focuses on policy development, planning, and implementation for child and youth mental health and substance use supports and prevention. He has held roles in rural and Indigenous primary care policy, labour and workforce, and experience working in rural Indigenous communities in BC, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Scott is from Campbell River and holds a masters of public policy. He spends most of his time these days chasing his toddler around, trail running, cycling or reading escapist sci fi/fantasy.

Gina Gardner is the Director of Strategic Policy in the Child, Youth and Mental Health Division of the BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. Gina has been with the Ministry since its creation, focused on strategic policy and intelligence generation through research, monitoring, evaluation and data. Previously, Gina spent eight years in population and public health policy with BC’s Ministry of Health, and took a brief detour recently to support BC’s COVID-19 response.

Rupinder Johal is a Policy Analyst with the Social Sector Partnerships and Planning team in the Child, Youth and Mental Health Division at the BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions (MMHA). Prior to joining MMHA, Rupinder was with the Ministry of Education, where she was an Education Officer/Inclusive Education Branch. Before joining government, Rupinder has worked as an elementary learning support teacher and high school teacher. Rupinder holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Arts, and a post-graduate certificate in Special Education. With this education and experience, Rupinder approaches her work through a lens of equity and capacity building. Rupinder was born and raised in Vancouver and currently lives in North Vancouver with her family, including two teenagers.

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