B.C. Premier David Eby unveils promised ‘road to recovery,’ seamless addiction treatment program

published on December 4, 2023 by Derrick Penner in Vancouver Sun

The B.C. government Monday unveiled the first instalment of the road to recovery seamless addiction treatment model it promised in March. The program has 34 beds, between detox and transition treatment, that has taken in 94 patients since it began in September.

Patients who desire help get in by calling the “access central” phone line, which kicks off a clinical assessment and referral to services, including detox, with a care team that follows them through transition-treatment beds and long-term treatment programs in the community.

Premier David Eby said the idea is to close gaps between previously isolated elements of addiction treatment when drug-users reach “a moment of clarity when they’re ready to change their lives.”

Eby unveiled the initiative while B.C. remains in the grips of an overdose crisis related to a toxic drug supply, which claimed another 189 lives in October, according to B.C. Coroners Service preliminary numbers, and government is under pressure to improve access to treatment…