An Interior Health building at 235 Lansdowne Street will soon be expanding its services and adding 17 staff.

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Seventeen more mental health workers are expected to staff an expanded Interior Health facility in downtown Kamloops.

New staff will fill a variety of roles, expanding current mental health services and adding new ones for the Kamloops region, according to an Interior Health news release.

“Our government is transforming mental health and substance-use care in every B.C. community, and building a system of care that did not exist five years ago," Mental Health and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcomson said in the release.

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The 235 Lansdowne St. location currently serves as Interior Health's mental health and substance use care centre.

The expansion will include expanded substance use treatment, including added services for young people and a safe consumption site. Some services have already been offered in Kamloops, with the mobile safe consumption site on Seymour Street and mental health services at 126 King St.

Interior Health is now consolidating those services to the downtown location.

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“We are committed to strengthening the delivery of primary care, mental health, and substance use services in Kamloops,” Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown, said in the release. “Expanding these services is a vital part of our response to the toxic drug crisis and further supports the range of mental health and addictions care available in Kamloops.”

The mobile safe consumption site on Seymour Street will be closed in favour of the permanent Lansdowne Street building.

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But the transition won't occur overnight, as Interior Health renovates the downtown building and hires the 17 employees.

“Research shows the integration of nursing, primary care and substance use treatment programs leads to better health outcomes for people who could benefit from supervised consumption services,” Interior Health medical health officer Dr. Carol Fenton said in the release.

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