British Columbia government expands addiction treatment program to entire province

The British Columbia government announced at a press conference in Surrey that it is expanding treatment and recovery services for people with drug addiction across the province.

Road to Recovery launched in December 2023 at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver to connect people with substance abuse issues with a recovery team for the entire treatment process. People in the program receive all of their care—from detox, bed-based care, recovery, and outpatient treatment—from the same medical health team.

“Road to Recovery brings addiction treatment together into one seamless model to provide care at every step of the way,” explained Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, at a news conference at Surrey Memorial Hospital on Monday afternoon (July 22). “We are expanding this model of care across the province so that when people courageously reach out for help, they can get the right support no matter where they live.”

This expansion will include 100 additional treatment beds across the province in each health authority. Anyone who needs access to Road to Recovery can call one line to access support after receiving an assessment and developing a composite plan.

According to statistics from the British Columbia government, 419 people could be accommodated in the 14 beds at St. Paul’s Hospital between October 2023 and June 2024. After review, the median wait time for patients deemed “urgent” was one day.

“Road to Recovery allows us to expand a thoughtful, intentional, and evidence-based system of care. Our hope is that this system will provide a full continuum of care that can address individual needs at the time and place they are needed,” said Dr. Sharon Vipler, Fraser Health program director for addiction medicine and substance abuse services.