A treatment and recovery service for people experiencing drug addiction is being expanded across the province, the B.C. government announced at a news conference in Surrey.
Road to Recovery was introduced at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver in December 2023 to connect people with substance use issues to a recovery team for the entire treatment process. People in the program receive all their care — from detox, bed-based care, recovery and outpatient treatment — from the same medical health team.
“Road to Recovery brings together addiction services into one seamless model to provide care every step of the way," Jennifer Whiteside, minister of mental health and addictions, explained at a press conference at Surrey Memorial Hospital on Monday afternoon (July 22). "We’re expanding this model of care across the province so that when people courageously reach out for help, they are met with the right support, no matter where they live.”
This expansion will include an additional 100 treatment beds across the province in each health authority. Anyone needing to access Road to Recovery will be able to call a single line to access the support after receiving an assessment and having a curated plan in place.
According to the B.C. government's statistics, the 14 beds at St. Paul's Hospital allowed for 419 individuals to receive care from October 2023 until June 2024. Upon assessment, the median wait time for those deemed "urgent" was one day.
"Road to Recovery will allow us to expand a thoughtful, intentioned and evidenced-based system of care. Our hope is that this system will provide a full continuum of care that can address individual needs at the time and place at which they are needed," said Dr. Sharon Vipler, program director with Fraser Health for addiction medicine and substance use services.
