Emergency & Hospital Care

In the event of immediate risk of harm to self or others, please call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest emergency department. Check ED wait times here.

For emotional support or assistance, call the Vancouver Island 24 Hour Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888.

For free health advice, 24/7, call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1

Emergency Departments

The following emergency departments have dedicated Mental Health and Substance Use services:

• Royal Jubilee Hospital
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
• Cowichan District Hospital
• West Coast General Hospital
• North Island Hospital Comox Valley
• Lady Minto Hospital

Psychiatric Emergency Services

Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) are specialized care units within hospital emergency departments that provide support for individuals aged 17 and over who are experiencing a psychiatric crisis related to mental health and/or substance use.

These services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the hospitals below.

All emergency departments support care for those aged 16 and under. For more information, visit Children & Youth Services. 

Locations

PES units are available in these hospital emergency departments:

• Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

Services provided:

• Specialized assessment, crisis management and initiation of treatment
• Short-term crisis intervention and stabilization
• Symptom management and recovery planning
• Referral to the most appropriate level of care
• Safety and discharge planning

Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Services

Acute psychiatric hospitalization provides short-term assessment and treatment services to individuals experiencing symptoms of severe mental illness. Upon admission, the inpatient care team provides acute care services and explores appropriate community supports and referrals post hospital discharge. 

Services provided:

• Stabilization of acutely ill patients
• Assessment by a team of health care providers
• Personalized care and treatment plans
• Follow-up and connection with community-based resources

Locations

• Royal Jubilee Hospital
• Cowichan District Hospital
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
• North Island Hospital Comox Valley Campus
• West Coast General Hospital

Admission to inpatient care is based on recommendation by the clinical care team. 

Acute Intoxication

Emergency departments may not be the best place for people experiencing acute intoxication. Island Health funds community-based Sobering and Assessment Centres to support people with recovery from acute intoxication. For more information, visit Substance Use Bed-Based Services.

Addictions Medicine Consult Service

The Addiction Medicine Consult Service (AMCS) supports physicians and care teams by providing consultation for any patient on an inpatient unit with known or suspected substance use disorder and/or who are experiencing harm due to their substance use.

The purpose is to strengthen a patient’s assessment, treatment and discharge plan when substance use may interfere with patient care.  

Services provided

• Management of difficult withdrawal symptoms
• Substance use treatment initiation during hospitalization
• Connection to community-based treatment resources for discharge
• Individualized care and treatment planning
• Acute care support during treatment
• Referrals to treatment, case management, community programs and opioid agonist treatment

How to access AMCS

Referral to AMCS is required from the individual’s in-hospital care team.