Sheila Malcolmson, provincial minister of mental health and addictions, is announcing more addiction treatment and recovery services for the Home Health region on Wednesday. The provincial government has announced it will add more addiction treatment and recovery services to communities across the interior, including beds in Kamloops and Kelowna. Speaking at the A New Tomorrow Treatment Solutions facility in Kamloops on Wednesday, Sheila Malcolmson, minister of mental health and addictions, said a total of 35 beds will be funded in Kamloops, Kelowna, Lillooet and Williams Lake. Malcolmson said 20 beds would be for treatment, while 15 would be for stabilization. “Working with our partners, our government will continue to build this seamless and comprehensive continuum of mental health and substance use care that people deserve,” said Malcolmson. “It’s an incredible act of bravery for people to recognize that they need help and reach out and ask. And we still have a lot to do. But we’re working hard and investing in the services people need and the communities that need them.” According to the province, A New Tomorrow Treatment Solutions in Kamloops will get 13 substance use treatment beds — seven for adult men and six for adult women — and seven beds to help people stabilize and transition into active care. The facility will open in the fall and will include suites specifically designed for the needs of single mothers with young children. Kelowna will get seven adult women’s care beds and two adult women’s stabilization beds, which will open at Bridge Youth and Family Services. These beds will open at the end of September. According to the province, the Lillooet Friendship Society is accepting applications for the five new stabilization beds. Williams Lake will get a new withdrawal management bed at the AXIS-Renner House. “These new beds will join previously announced supports for the Internal Health area, including 17 new positions announced this March to support a variety of mental health and substance use programs,” Malcolmson said. According to the province, the treatment beds provide intensive, live-in substance use treatment for 30 to 90 days. Those with a bed can access medical services, counselling, psychosocial education and life skills training. Stabilization beds are available for people with complex substance use challenges who need support after managing withdrawal. Diane Shendruk, vice president of clinical operations for Interior Health North, said substance use and addictions should be viewed as existing on a spectrum, and treatments should be tailored to each person’s unique needs. “It’s important to have this range of services as everyone’s journey to recovery is different and needs different support,” Shendruk said. In addition to treatment and stabilization beds, Malcolmson said new outpatient withdrawal management teams are available to help people in Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon. A new virtual addiction medicine service will also help people across the Home Health spectrum access support. “These services create a continuum of care across the interior,” Malcolmson said. He said planning is also underway to create complex care homes in Kamloops and Kelowna. Although Internal Health has faced ongoing staffing challenges, Shendruk said community mental health and substance use groups have not been affected in the same way. “Almost all the new positions have been filled,” Shendruk said. “There is great passion for this work and a dedicated team.” Dr. Mandy Manak of A New Tomorrow Treatment Solutions said opening the Kamloops treatment facility has been a dream for years. He said untreated addiction was destroying communities and the new beds would help provide support for those struggling with substance use. “It is hope for those people who are looking for recovery so they can live their lives to the fullest. It is hope not only for the people of Kamloops, but also for those who live in the Interior Health region,” said Manak. Malcolmson said this was not the last announcement expected from the ministry. “We’re at a point now where we’re really building that system of care and filling in the gaps in the system where people are falling through the cracks. Things that people with lived experience, health workers and people on the front lines of a public health emergency in particular — the toxic drug crisis in particular — the gaps they’ve identified.”
