Those suffering with substance abuse looking to access treatment and recovery services will be seeing a new model for the future.
A new investment of $132 million will be distributed across communities over the next three years, as part of the provinces 2021 budget to continue building a comprehensive system of mental health and addictions care from the ground up.
Funding will increase programs across the region, strengthening substance-use treatment and recovery services, including withdrawal management, transition and assessment, treatment and aftercare services.
“When a person living with addiction is ready to take a step toward recovery, we must ensure services are available when and where they need them,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
“We have been busy patching holes where urgently needed over the past four years. Now, through Budget 2021’s historic investment, we are beginning to make true systemic change. B.C.’s $132-million investment in treatment and recovery will result in significant improvements everywhere in the province, making substance-use care more seamless, better integrated and easier to access.”
Over 65 new or enhanced programs will be created in the province, which leads to more than 130 full-time job positions and approximately 195 new substance-use treatment beds.
A look at some of the up and coming projects for BC are outlined below:
Withdrawal management:
new sobering and assessment centre in Prince George
new addiction medicine consult team at Burnaby Hospital
new outpatient withdrawal management services in multiple locations throughout the Interior
additional funding for withdrawal beds at Vancouver Detox
Transition and assessment:
new transitional/stabilization beds across Interior Health, ensuring that people receive care planning and connection to treatment after leaving withdrawal management facilities
enhancing substance-use assessment and/or transition services at Richmond Hospital, Onsite Detox and at St. Paul’s Hospital to ensure people are more easily connected to services and experience more co-ordinated and seamless transitions
Treatment:
new regional residential treatment beds to support women from the Interior and Island health regions
expanded adult addictions day treatment services in various communities in the Northern Health region
extension of the Indigenous-led (Gwa'sala-'nakwaxda'xw) partnership program for alcohol treatment and recovery in Port Hardy
Aftercare:
new recovery wellness community centres in two locations in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, to help people on their ongoing recovery journey
new vocational and occupational therapists for Fraser Health’s Adult Day, Evening and Weekend (DEW) program will support people in reaching their substance-use recovery goals through group and one-on-one employment-focused services
new peer-support initiatives to support ongoing aftercare in locations throughout the Northern Health region
new peer-led, trauma-informed education program for people with lived and living experience of addiction in the Vancouver Coastal Health Region
This is an integral part of BC’s response to the overdoses emergency the province faces, read more about the roadmap here.
