Vulnerable populations: One missed opportunity after another

A presentation by Chris Richardson on vulnerable populations and who emerging adults are at our Consensus Conference on the Mental Health of Emerging Adults.

About the conference

We hosted the first Canadian Consensus Conference on the Mental Health of Emerging Adults: Making Transitions a Priority in Canada in 2015 to create an open dialogue and generate a broad consensus on their unique mental health needs. Facilitated by our Knowledge Exchange Centre, the conference brought together 200 emerging adults, their families and caregivers, service providers, and policy makers from across the country stakeholders from across the country to develop a consensus statement with concrete recommendations to  advance policy and services for emerging adults in Canada. The conference Jury and emerging adults panel identified a number of foundational characteristics of a reformed system – one that is better able to meet the mental health and problematic substance use needs of emerging adults.

About the presenter

Dr. Chris Richardson is an Associate Professor at UBC with a research program focused on examining the biopsychosocial determinants of substance use in adolescence, which includes working with Vancouver’s Inner City Youth Program on numerous clinical studies involving youth mental health and substance use. Chris is also a parent with lived experience related to helping his three children manage a range of mental health and addictions challenges and has worked extensively with the non-profit group From Grief to Action to support and advocate for the needs of families affected by a loved one’s drug use.