Island Health says it’s on track to deliver 93 substance use treatment beds to communities up and down Vancouver Island.
It’s part of the provincial plan to open 500 substance use spaces across B.C.
“We understand the harms and incredible risks of substance use, and that’s why more beds are needed to help people get back on track,” Health Minister Terry Lake said.
The initiative began in 2014. Since then Island Health has opened 55 drug-treatment beds.
“Ensuring that both adults and youth have better access and improved outcomes for mental health and substance use is a top priority for Island Health,” said Don Hubbard, Island Health Board Chair.
The 55 beds which have already opened on Vancouver Island include:
- Victoria: 14 tertiary supportive recovery beds, 10 supportive recovery beds and five stabilization beds for adults and six supportive recovery beds for youth
- Nanaimo: Four crisis stabilization beds for Aboriginal youth with concurrent mental health and substance use challenges
- Courtenay: Six supportive recovery beds for women
- Port Alberni: Five stabilization and supportive recovery beds
- North Island: Five withdrawal management/community detox beds on the North Island located in Port Hardy
The remaining 38 beds will be delivered by early 2017.
B.C. declared a public health crisis in April over the amount of illicit drug overdoses occurring in the province.
Between Jan 1. and Sept. 30 of this year, 555 people died from drug overdoses – compared to 508 deaths for all of 2015.
The BC Coroners Service said fentanyl was a “major contributor” to the high number of deaths this year.
