After months of waiting to fill the gaps they need to open up, the folks who run the Phoenix Center next to RIH say they could be ready to open up their long-awaited youth detox wing within a matter of weeks.
Day One Society Executive Director Sian Lewis says they’ve been on a hiring blitz, offering $20,000 dollar signing bonuses to nurses to staff the facility.
“There is a nursing shortage that is global. I mean, it’s not even just impacting Canada,” notes Lewis. “It’s a very large problem in terms of acquiring new specialized medical staff. But on top of that, detox is a specialized service.”
She says while they have already been successful in hiring three nurses, and have two more under contract discussions, they need eight to fully run the youth detox wing.
“Inpatient detox does run like an acute unit in a hospital. Most nurses who are straight out of school are going to start in a position that’s a little less daunting, and work their way up to something more specialized like detox.”
Lewis says if their hiring blitz is successful, they hope to open the youth detox wing by mid-February.
“The general public may not understand how much time and effort goes into hiring just one person. But it’s a bit of a trick trying to get those interview arranged, especially over and through Christmas. Get those references checked. Get that person on site and then do a full orientation to get them up and running.”
The beds for the youth detox wing were first unveiled in June, but have been unfilled due to the lack of staff.
The five new in-patient beds for withdrawal management, are for youth ages 24 and under.
The Day One Society has been accommodating their young clients within the 20-bed adult unit, providing an entire room to a youth in a two-bedroom setup, which means less access for adults.
Once the opening of the new beds in the separate wing can be completed, the Society has a specific space for youth, and thus more room for other patients.