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September 22, 2016 - 2:30 PM
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - By the end of this year, more support beds will be available for individuals with mental health issues and those grappling with substance abuse in the Southern Interior.
Five contracts have been awarded to create 26 support recovery beds, according to a Interior Health Authority media release. They are the first five of ten eventual contracts to provide an additional 57 beds to communities throughout the region.
Interior Health says the support recovery beds will provide clients a safe, substance-free setting as they wait for residential treatment, return from residential treatment or transition to a more stable lifestyle.
“Our staff members are working very hard to get these beds open,” Erwin Malzer with Interior Health says in the release. “A support recovery bed is more than just a bed. It represents a place where clients can feel safe and secure, knowing they’ll receive the encouragement and treatment they require to restore their health.”
The ASK Wellness Society will provide six support recovery beds in Merritt, the Kamloops Society for Alcohol and Drug Services will establish six beds in Kamloops, while the Round Lake Treatment Centre in Armstrong will open six beds.
The rest of the beds will be provided in Cranbrook.
“Today’s announcement will improve access to addiction treatment services for both on reserve and away from home First Nations," Richard Jock with the First Nations Health Authority says in the release. "This was made possible by a first of its kind data project which matched Ministry health services utilization data with the First Nations client file.”
The Health Authority plans to have all 57 beds ready for patients by December 2016.
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