As part of a broader, B.C.-wide announcement, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions has revealed Kamloops will be getting 20 additional complex care beds for people struggling with mental health and addiction issues.
Kamloops Councillors Bill Sarai, the Deputy Mayor for April, says this is welcome news.
“What we’ve been asking…this council and last council has been asking for for a number of years,” said Sarai. “That’s a gap that we’ve constantly seen, is housing has been put up, and people are in it, but they’re not getting the help that they actually need.”
This new announcement will bring the number of complex care beds in Kamloops to 40. The first complex care beds in Kamloops were opened in January of last year.
Sarai says more details, including who the service provider will be, are expected in the next few weeks.
“They haven’t released that name yet. They’ve basically just awarded us the beds. The actual location and provider will be coming up in probably the next 30 days,” said Sarai.
While more details are expected, what is unlikely to be announced is where the beds are going to be located, as the Ministry has a policy of not revealing locations to avoid community push back and to provide anonymity to those who enter into the programs.
“The 20 beds that are out there are now are basically spread out throughout our community in Interior Health-led housing,” noted Sarai. “Most of the time you don’t even know they’re there.”
The 20 complex care beds coming to Kamloops is part of 240 new beds being added to the provincial government’s complex-care housing program.
The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions says in a statement that 200 of the beds will be located in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Prince George, Sechelt, Surrey, Vancouver, and Victoria.
The remaining 40 beds will be Indigenous-led and the statement says officials are working with Indigenous groups to identify partners and “priority communities.”
“As a social worker specializing in complex care, my role revolves around providing personalized support to individuals navigating complex challenges,” said Ashley Halston, a social worker with Interior Health said.
“With the introduction of dedicated complex-care units in both Kelowna and Kamloops, our ability to provide patient-focused care is significantly increased, enabling us to address the diverse needs of those we serve with greater effectiveness and compassion.”
The province says communities were prioritized based on a number of factors, including “available health and housing data, health human resource capacity, and alignment with other health and homelessness initiatives.”
“In addition to our existing complex-care beds, these 40 new [beds] mark another step forward to better supporting individuals facing complex mental-health, substance use and housing challenges,” Interior Health President and CEO Susan Brown added.
“This expansion emphasizes Interior Health’s dedication to provide integrated care right where people live to enhance the health and well-being for all.”
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside says the complex needs of people dealing with overlapping health challenges, such as brain injuries or developmental disabilities, can lead to “a cycle of evictions, stays in shelters and repeated visits to emergency rooms.”
Whiteside’s statement says the new beds will provide people the coordinated care they need in their own home.
– With files from Paul James and The Canadian Press