Minister of mental health and addictions Sheila Malcolmson said these new beds are an important part of a full continuum of mental-health and substance-use care. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

important resources

More treatment beds available in Nanaimo for mental health and addictions recovery

May 26, 2022 | 2:11 PM

NANAIMO — More resources are now available for people battling substance use and mental health challenges.

Provincial funding, through Island Health, is making 14 beds available, with eight designated for sobering up and assessing the individual while another six are used for stabilization, which is the next step once they are sober.

Sheila Malcolmson, Nanaimo MLA and minister of mental health and addictions, said the beds provide a safe space where individuals can recover while being connected with additional resources and are an alternative to public intoxication.

“(The) majority of people are homeless, not all of them though. And it’s an opportunity to stabilize, go through some kind of withdrawal safely, and especially it’s an opportunity to get connected with care.”

Four new sobering and assessment beds are located at Balmoral House and are operated by the Vancouver Island Mental Health Society (VIMHS) in partnership with the Nanaimo chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association. This brings their total of beds for this designation to eight.

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They’ve been in use since April 4 with 183 clients taking advantage of the service through April alone.

Balmoral House, located at 126 Haliburton St., can also direct users to other health and social services to help meet their basic needs. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The majority of them were men with crystal meth being the most prominent addiction challenge followed closely by alcohol.

The four additional stabilization beds are located at Crescent House at 1200 Princess Royal Ave., and are operated by Island Crisis Care Society (ICCS). They now have six stabilization beds in total.

Malcolmson said these beds give people a chance to work on their sobriety for up to 30 days.

“Folks can stabilize, lock in what they learned in treatment, and hopefully then be able to move on with their recovery journey.”

Island Health put out a call for proposals for these new beds in the fall, with ICCS and VIMHS being the successful bidders, which means it does require any staff to be taken away from the health authority itself.

“It’s a really good way to take the pressure off the health care system. The front-line grassroots groups have connections in the community and they’re specialized… it’s a vital partnership as we build that system of care for mental health and substance use,” Malcomson said.

Malcolmson added the sobering and assessment beds are a way for highly intoxicated individuals who need help sobering up and are ready to rest.

“This isn’t a place to hang out, and if someone is still wide awake and not yet ready to rest for the night they are not admitted. The alternative would be for them to have interactions with police, interactions with people using our downtown in regular ways, or else coming to emergency, and none of these places are well equipped (for them).”

The beds at Balmoral House are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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