B.C. building historic treatment, recovery services for people struggling with addiction

People struggling with mental health and addiction will have access to more treatment and recovery beds, along with community-based aftercare services through new historic investments through Budget 2023.

“It’s essential that people who struggle with mental health and addiction can find and stay connected to the care they need quickly,” said Premier David Eby. “Budget 2023 is the biggest investment in our province’s history to improve access to mentalhealth supports, so that when people ask for help or need care help is available.”

Budget 2023 sets out more than $1 billion in new funding over the next three years to ensure that people living with mental health or addiction can find and stay connected to the care they need. As part of this funding, to support people struggling with addiction and into recovery, the Province is investing $586 million into the health-care system to add more treatment and recovery services, including 195 treatment and recovery beds throughout B.C. In addition, using the successful Red Fish Healing Centre as a model, supports for people with concurrent mental-health and addiction challenges will be expanded to regional locations throughout the province.

“When someone makes the brave decision to reach out for help, it’s vital the right services are in place to meet them,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “Our government has been building a mental-health and addictions system of care from the ground up. Because there is more to do, Budget 2023 continues this work with a major expansion to treatment and recovery services that will support people along their journey to wellness.”

Budget 2023 will help people receive the treatment and recovery care they need, when they need it, through:

100 new publicly funded community adult substance-use treatment and recovery beds with no fees for British Columbians; a new model of seamless care to support people through their entire recovery journey with 95 beds, with plans to expand this model to three more sites in B.C.; expanding the Red Fish Healing Centre model of care across the province so more people have access to these services closer to home; new aftercare services at four new community recovery sites with dedicated workers to make sure people continue to receive the support they need when they leave a treatment facility; a new $171-million investment fund for Indigenous-led treatment, recovery and aftercare services; and increasing services for young people, including crisis supports, culturally safe wraparound services, enhanced transition services and improved emergency room hospital-based care and discharge planning.

Since 2017, government has been building a continuum of care for mental-health and substance-use services, including adding more than 360 new adult and youth substance-use treatment beds, doubling the number of clinicians prescribing medication assisted treatment and ending the shame and stigma associated with substance use to connect them to life-saving services.

Enhancing supports for people living with mental-health and substance-use challenges is an integral part of A Pathway to Hope, B.C.’s road map for building the comprehensive system of mental-health and addictions care for British Columbians.