61 more drug treatment beds now open across Interior Health region

Sixty-one beds in government-funded drug addiction treatment centres, first announced in January, are now open in the Interior Health region.

This brings the total number of such beds in IH to 391, the government says.

“When I came into Discovery House, I was spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically bankrupt,” Marty S., a resident of a treatment centre in Penticton, is quoted as saying in a government release issued Tuesday.

“After being here for almost four months, I cannot believe the transformation in every aspect of myself. This place has saved my life,” Marty says.

The 61 new beds are all administered by the B.C. branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association and are operated by organizations, such as the Karis Support Society in Kelowna, that are provincially-approved. The 61 new beds include 17 in Kelowna, 15 in Vernon, 23 in Lumby/Sorrento, and six in Penticton.

“By adding more treatment beds in the Interior, we’re making sure money and distance are no longer a barrier for people on their recovery journey,” Jennifer Whiteside, minister of mental health and addictions, said in the release.

To access these new beds, people can refer themselves or be referred by their health-care professional or other organizations. Services include a live-in environment, counselling, medication management, and a strong emphasis on community involvement.

“Getting into this recovery program has changed my life by keeping me off the streets after I completed my previous 90day program. It has given me a connection with my son and a safe place to raise him and build our life together,” said an anonymous client of the Karis Support Society in Kelowna.

Across B.C., there are more than 3,600 publicly-funded adult and youth substance-abuse treatment beds. About 600 of them have opened since the NDP took power in 2017, the government release states.