BC Adds 25 New Drug Treatment Beds for Youth

published on June 21, 2023 by Michelle Gamage in The Tyee

B.C. has added 25 new addiction and treatment beds for young adults in Surrey and Vancouver, with 18 beds for young men and seven beds for all genders.

As of this month there are 3,228 publicly funded community substance use treatment beds in B.C., including 156 youth beds, according to the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.

When asked how many beds are in use, the ministry didn’t answer directly but said the province sometimes holds beds so that spaces are available when people want to access treatment.

On Monday the BC Coroners Service said in the first five months of this year 1,018 British Columbians have died due to unregulated drugs.

Since the start of 2017 about 1.4 per cent of toxic drug deaths involved someone younger than 19 years old, the report noted…