Interior Health expanding withdrawal services in Okanagan

Interior Health has announced plans for new outpatient withdrawal management services in Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton and Kamloops.

Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said the new options will allow more people with substance use challenges to access the help they need – faster.

The outpatient model means a person doesn’t need to be admitted to a facility to receive withdrawal support. Instead, patients will receive care, including the prescribing of medications as required, in their own home.

“Each person’s experience with addiction, and path to recovery, is unique,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “Interior Health is pleased to be expanding outpatient withdrawal services, and we are committed to supporting people across the region in their recovery journeys.”

In addition to creating a regional virtual addiction medicine clinic, new outpatient withdrawal management teams will run seven days a week in Penticton, Kamloops, Vernon and Kelowna.

The new nursing positions have been posted and recruitment is ongoing. Services will be implemented as these staff are hired and trained, with service starts anticipated by summer 2022.

These new outpatients programs are in addition to expanded services in the North Okanagan, five new youth withdrawal management beds recently awarded in Kamloops, 22 adult withdrawal beds to serve people across the Okanagan, Integrated Treatment Teams to provide multidisciplinary outreach to people who need flexible support, and growing access to Opioid Agonist Treatment through IH’s nurse prescriber program.

Medically supported withdrawal management, sometimes called detox, is an important option for people with significant alcohol or other substance use concerns. Beyond physical and mental discomfort, withdrawal can cause medical complications that put people at risk of seizures, hallucinations, and even death.