Whereas substance use, particularly drug addiction, is considered a mental health issue; And whereas smaller communities do not have many of the supports required to assist those wanting to recover from addiction and detox followed by immediate rehabilitation is necessary in order to recover and the wait time between the two can be up to three months: Therefore be it resolved that the Ministry of Health be encouraged to fund detox and rehabilitation centres throughout the Province, particularly in rural and remote communities.
Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions In June of this year, the Government launched A Pathway to Hope a roadmap for making mental health and addictions care better for people in British Columbia. A Pathway to Hope lays out governments 10-year vision for mental health and addictions care that gets people the services they need to tackle problems early on and support their well-being. It identifies the priority actions government will take over the next three years to help people immediately and reduce demand on services down the road. The focus is on supporting the wellness of children, youth and young adults, supporting Indigenous-led solutions and improving access and quality of care. The roadmap builds on the ongoing work to address the overdose crisis by starting to establish improved systems of addictions care. The Governments goal is to build a system of care where all British Columbians can get the care they need, regardless of where they live, how much money they make or their background. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to mental health and addiction challenges. Providing a range of treatment options will help ensure people can get the services that will work best for them. For example, community-based services can help prevent people from needing bed-based care, which are just one component of a broad continuum of care. To increase access to bed-based services, the Province has worked with health authorities to fund 60 new beds since 201718. In 2018, an investment of 4.7 million supported Our Place Society to open the New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community on Vancouver Island, providing long-term residential supportive recovery care for individuals who are among those most at risk.