Interior Health (IH), in partnership with Ktunaxa Nation and East Kootenay Addiction Services Society (EKASS), is pleased to announce clients are now being admitted to new support recovery beds located in Cranbrook.

Through partnerships and consultation with the First Nation Health Authority and the Ktunaxa Nation, four support recovery beds are providing support for Aboriginal people seeking substance use care. These beds, in combination with four EKASS beds, will help enhance substance use services for residents throughout the East Kootenay.

“This is great news for our residents,” said Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett. “These eight support recovery beds will help ensure the continued improvement and care for those struggling with substance use problems and allow them to receive this support closer to home.”

The eight support recovery beds are the first of their kind in the East Kootenay and will provide clients a safe and supportive setting while they await residential treatment, return from residential treatment, or transition to a more stable lifestyle.

“Interior Health is working to shift the health care system away from hospitals and towards care being provided in a community setting,” said IH board member Dennis Rounsville. “Having these beds in Cranbrook represents a significant step towards community based care for all the residents of the East Kootenay.”

Interior Health announced in April its plan to open 73 new substance use treatment beds, including 57 support recovery beds and 16 withdrawal management beds. These eight beds are part of the province’s commitment to add 500 additional substance use spaces throughout British Columbia, which will be achieved in 2017.

“Our vision is to create strong, healthy citizens,” said Ktunaxa Nation Urban Service Manager Racheal Nicholas. “These four Aboriginal support recovery beds will help us maintain the vital health and wellbeing of our First Nation people as well as strengthen our integrated and culturally grounded systems.”

“East Kootenay Addiction Services is pleased to be part of this new initiative to offer supported recovery programming in the East Kootenay,” said EKASS Executive Director Dean Nicholson. “Supported recovery programming, which includes stable accommodation, has been needed in our region for many years, and it is exciting to have the opportunity to add new programming to support people looking to make positive changes in their lives.”

On July 27, Premier Christy Clark announced a new Joint Task Force on Overdose Prevention and Response. The actions being taken under the task force support the ongoing work to support and treat British Columbians with substance use problems, a key priority of government.

Interior Health

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