2SLGBTQQIA+ Healthcare resources

Kids Help Phone provides free, confidential 24/7 services for children, youth and young adults. Services include professional counselling by phone, and volunteer-led information and crisis support via phone, text or chat. Confidential and anonymous support.

Chat online or text CONNECT to 686868 to message volunteer crisis responder or call 1-800-668-6868 to contact a professional counsellor.

Youth mental health hubs are operated by the Alberta Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health (known as Kickstand). Fully integrated youth mental health hubs serve as a single point of access for youth aged 11 to 25, offering a range of recovery-oriented services, including mental health and addiction services, primary health care, social services, peer support and Indigenous wellness services. Youth and families can also access free, confidential virtual services through Kickstand Connect. Supports include youth groups for specific populations, including 2SLGBTQQIA+ youth.

Alberta Health Services offers screening and triaging of referrals, offers choices based on the primary concern and goals of the referral, including booking an appointment with a community clinic therapist, providing resources and/or redirection of some referrals to the most appropriate services.

The Pediatric Gender Services Clinic at the Alberta’s Children’s Hospital offers assessment, support and treatment for children, youth and families who are experiencing challenges related to gender identity. A multi-disciplinary team that offers an affirming approach to gender identity and care for patients 5-18 years.

The Counselling Alberta Program has expertise in gender issues, family relationships, parent-child conflict, and parenting and is able to support students and families navigating challenges related to gender and sexuality.  Referral pathways are in place to connect students and their families with affordable in person or virtual counselling support through Counselling Alberta.  

The Gender Program helps people who feel that their assigned sex at birth is misaligned with their lived gender. This service offers psychiatry, endocrinology, pediatric and adolescent medicine, nursing support, referrals to surgery and other specialties and information about supports available in the community.

The Alberta Health Final Stage Gender Reassignment Surgery (GRS) Program offers support for Albertans (18 years +) who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria to receive gender affirming bottom surgery at the Clinique de Chirurgie, a private hospital in Montreal, Que.

Breast augmentation and mastectomy for transgender Albertans are insured services covered under the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan. Physicians are required to refer eligible patients to the program. Patient eligibility must be determined and approved before surgery can be approved.

The government is building a private registry of medical professionals who specialize in transgender care and is working to bring medical professionals who specialize in transition-related surgeries to Alberta to practice.

The Adult Gender Clinic at the Foothills Medical Centre provides assessment and support for individuals throughout their transition by facilitating connection to hormone providers and/or gender-affirming surgeries. Including a comprehensive assessment regarding gender identity, treatment of co-occurring mental health concerns, education and support regarding social transition, and referrals to access hormones and/or surgery required for transition.

The Sexual and Reproductive Health Program covers an array of services from Birth Control/Emergency Contraception, Consent/Sexual Assault, Pregnancy, Relationships, Sexual & Gender Diversity, Sexuality and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Peer Support Program offers free support services for parents at any stage of their family-building journey. Whether you are experiencing acute grief, trying to conceive, pregnant after loss or parenting after loss, both virtual and in-person options are available to ensure accessibility for all. Program volunteers have been trained in peer support practices, language and inclusivity focusing on anti-racism and 2SLGBTQQIA+.

The following organizations provide a broad spectrum of STBBI services including awareness and prevention, education, testing and treatment, wrap around supports and supportive environments for those living with, or at risk of, an STBBI in Alberta:

• Sandy Beach Ki Mamow Atoskanow Foundation
• Northreach Society
• Options HIV West Yellowhead 
• HIV Network of Edmonton
• Streetworks (The Boyle Street Service Society)
• Queer & Trans Health Collective
• Turning Point Society of Central Alberta
• SafeLink Alberta Society
• Safeworks (Alberta Health Services)
• Recovery Alberta (South Zone Harm Reduction Intervention Team)

The Syphilis Outbreak Action Response (SOAR) is a $2 million grant annually distributed to 8 organizations to increase awareness of syphilis and sexual well-being, increase testing, improve access to culturally safe care and management of syphilis and target the elimination of congenital syphilis.

You can get information about mental health and addiction services through 211 Alberta, which provides information, referrals and crisis support by calling 2-1-1, texting INFO to 211, or chatting online.

The Counselling Alberta Program offers accessible, high quality, affordable, no waitlist counselling to all Albertans through virtual and in-person service delivery. For a list of in-person locations, visit the Counselling Alberta. Services are offered to Albertans affected by social, emotional and psychological problems who need access to care. This includes children and youth, adults and seniors representing all cultures, backgrounds and walks of life residing in urban, suburban and rural and remote areas. 

The program offers opportunities for individual, couples, family, and/or group therapy. Some counsellors have lived experience and/or expertise in gender identity and/or sexuality that may address concerns and provide support to individuals in the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.

The Newcomer Centre provides culturally appropriate mental health services and wrap-around supports for immigrants and refugees facing multiple barriers to accessing traditional services and delivers educational sessions to organizations that work with this population. 

Services include:

• counselling services (including trauma therapy) for immigrant and refugee adults, youth and children
• social work support for multi-barrier immigrants and refugees
• provision of education sessions to strategic partner organizations on immigrant and refugee mental health

Addiction Helpline is a 24/7 confidential service that provides support, information and referrals to Albertans experiencing addiction and mental health concerns. The service is staffed by a multidisciplinary team comprised of nurses, psychiatric nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and psychologists. 

Call 1-866-332-2322 to access the helpline.

The Mental Health Helpline is a 24/7 confidential service that provides support, information and referrals to Albertans experiencing mental health concerns. The line is staffed by a multidisciplinary team comprised of nurses, psychiatric nurses, social workers, occupation therapists and psychologists. Includes: 

• crisis support
• mental health and addiction screening and assessment
• general information about mental health or addiction topics
• information about local service options for addiction and mental health and how to access them
• strategies people can use at home to support their emotional well-being

Call 1-877-303-2642 (toll free) to access the Mental Health Helpline.

Access Addiction & Mental Health is the access point for non-urgent addiction and mental health information and services. Callers requiring access to an AMH service will be screened, triaged and provided with a first appointment booking, or will be provided with information on appropriate community resources. Callers should be prepared to spend 30-40 minutes with a mental health therapist staff, to complete the screening and intake process. 

Call 1-888-594-0211 Monday to Friday between 8:30 am, to 4:30 pm, to talk to highly skilled health professionals ready to provide support. 

VODP provides Albertans struggling with addiction same-day access to addiction medicine specialists from anywhere in the province.

Albertans can be connected with an addiction medicine specialist by calling 1-844-383-7688, seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to midnight. There is no wait list.
 

The Edmonton Community Health Hub North provides a single point of access to adult addiction and mental health community-based programs. It provides a range of urgent and non-urgent addiction and mental health services including service navigation, screening, assessment, referral, consultation, crisis intervention, outreach and short-term stabilization.

The C.H.E.W. Project assists 2SLGBTQQIA+ youth and young adults (aged 29 and below) in Edmonton who face barriers (for example, mental health, homelessness, poverty) by providing them with mental health and addiction intervention and outreach supports, including crisis and suicide intervention support. The project also provides them with access to wrap-around supports and resources in the community and assists them with meeting their physical safety and comprehensive health needs.

DART provides training for health providers to increase health provider capacity to identify and address domestic violence. Existing training will be expanded to include sexual violence, elder abuse and 2SLGBTQQIA+ clients, and to be provided in settings beyond AHS and Covenant Health, including corrections health, cancer clinics and primary care locations.

Alberta’s government is establishing 11 new recovery communities throughout the province to ensure people with addiction can access life-saving treatment. Each of these facilities will offer long-term addiction treatment at no cost to clients. Participants can stay up to one year and take part in programming that helps them improve their health, relationships and skills to support their recovery and thrive in all areas of their lives.

The Indigenous Advisory Council will provide advice on priorities and ways to improve health care for First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in Alberta.

This report contains 22 recommendations to help strengthen primary health care for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples and communities across Alberta, as well as improve access to culturally safe primary health care. One of the recommendations includes building relationships with and creating space for the participation and inclusion of unique groups, such as 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in primary health care planning.

The Way Forward outlines the actions and timelines for implementation of the recommendations. 

The Indigenous Patient Safety Investigator and Advocate is the point of contact for First Nations, Metis and Inuit patients who have concerns or complaints related to the provincial health care system.

The Indigenous Primary Health Care Innovation Fund is intended to provide flexible funding to assist First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and organizations design and deliver primary health care based on their unique health care needs.

The Indigenous Patient Navigator Grant Program is intended to address the immediate challenges facing Indigenous patients, communities and organizations by providing financial support to First Nations, Métis and Indigenous-serving organizations to recruit and retain Navigators to support patients through the primary health care system, community and social service agencies and other relevant supports for their health and well-being.

• A Historical Perspective: LGBTQ2S+ People Across Canada 
• Inclusive Language, Communication & Information Records Management
• LGBTQ2S+ Sexual and Gender Diversity
• Safe and Inclusive Physical Spaces
• Seniors and Continuing Care – LGBTQ2S+ Resources for Providers
• Sexual and Gender Minority (LGBTQ) People in Healthcare: Did you Know?
• Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Gender Expressions (SOGIE) Safer Places Toolkit
• Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Addiction and Mental Health
• Tips for Establishing a LGBTQ2S+ Site Champion
• Tips to Support LGBTQ2S+ Friendly Activity Programming in Continuing Care