Aiding people with substance-use needs
New intensive day treatment services are now being offered in four Interior Health communities, including Penticton, to provide structured individual, group, and family treatment and support for people with complex substance-use needs.
The new program gives people with substance-use disorders another recovery option.
The Intensive Day Treatment Program was established this summer to remove barriers for those who recognize they need help but have busy lives – jobs with little flexibility, or family demands – that make residential treatment programs unappealing or impossible.
“We are listening and responding to the needs of people who continue to face substance use challenges in communities across our province,” says Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy.
“We know there are many pathways to hope and recovery and we are confident that people in the Interior will benefit from these intensive day treatment programs.”
The program is available in Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna, and Penticton – those communities hardest hit by the overdose crisis. The first sessions began in June.
“This new program is one element of Interior Health’s Mental Health and Substance Use Strategy,” says Interior Health board chairman Doug Cochrane.
“By offering a full range of services including outreach, residential treatment, supportive recovery, and now community-based day treatment, we are combating the ongoing overdose emergency and helping those with substance use disorders reclaim their health.”
In April, IH hired four clinicians with extensive addictions training with the goal of building a robust, standardized and evidence-based treatment curriculum that meets the needs of those with substance use disorders. Curriculum development has included input from IH’s Aboriginal Health team to ensure it meets the needs of Indigenous people.
The program is funded through the Provincial Overdose Emergency Response.
It runs five days a week in mornings or afternoons, for six weeks. Groups usually include six or seven people who are referred through Interior Health’s Mental Health and Substance Use central intake in the community.
For information about the Intensive Day Treatment Program, contact your local IH Mental Health and Substance Use Centre.