The integrated youth services model, which is now active in nine out of our 13 provinces and territories and in eight indigenous communities, seeks to provide a community-based program for individuals to receive mental health and substance use care, as well as all related services that can allow them to have the best chance for a healthy trajectory, including sexual reproductive services, housing services and the like. It operates under a model called measurement-based care, which means that every individual who is seen is on a walk-in basis, with no appointment and no referral required. They have their services and they participate directly in measuring the actual outcomes.
This is a transformational moment, because we hope to see this level of service available, including at a virtual level as well, for those in outlying regions at the most vulnerable period of time, when young people are at highest risk for developing substance use disorders as well as chronic mental illnesses.
What's remarkable is that it's working from the grassroots up. We have municipalities, communities, provinces and the federal government all working together. Community health is the future, and that's why we're very enthusiastic about it.
If you complement it with what is hopefully to be adopted, the Planet Youth model from Iceland, which seeks to have communities come together to ensure that young people are not diverted away from healthy activities to unhealthy activities, you start to focus on the upstream issues that really lead, ultimately, to addiction and chronic mental illnesses.
As part of our strategy, I think as a country we have to recognize that youth are the most vulnerable. If we're able to provide them with the resources needed where they're at, there's a greater likelihood we'll stem the tide of individuals susceptible to the increasing toxic illicit drug supply.