New milestone for substance use treatment beds
As of March 31, the Province has opened 500 additional substance-use treatment and intervention beds throughout British Columbia, including 131 here within our region. Kudos to VCH staff who helped make these beds a reality for people as each of these new beds represents a chance at recovery for someone who wants to change their life.
In 2013, the Ministry of Health, in partnership with the health authorities, set out to create 500 new substance-use beds in recognition that additional substance-use services were needed throughout the province.
The following new beds have been opened in each health authority between 2013 and 2017:
- Fraser Health: 147
- Interior Health: 85
- Island Health: 93
- Northern Health: 30
- Provincial Health Services Authority: 14
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 131
- Total: 500
The distribution of beds across the health authorities varied based on the population needs and targeted areas of improvement in each individual region. The beds were created with key populations in mind (including youth, pregnant women and new mothers, and people with concurrent mental-health and substance-use concerns). More than 16% of the beds were designed to provide culturally safe and appropriate services for Aboriginal people, with many developed in direct partnership with First Nations communities.
“It can be difficult for patients in need of or seeking treatment to find the support necessary for recovery,” said Dr. Evan Wood, director of the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use and professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia. “Expanding access to care, and ensuring the care provided meets the needs of that individual, is critical to effectively treating substance use.”
For a list of substance use services visit the VCH website.