People in Cranbrook and surrounding areas will have access to new treatment and recovery options, as well as expanded mental health and substance use services.

Through Interior Health, the B.C. government is adding 10 beds at the Recovery Ranch by Edgewood Health Network in the Cranbrook area, including five young adult substance-use treatment beds and five adult withdrawal management beds. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people within the Interior Health region will be given priority for these beds.

“When people in the Cranbrook region make the courageous decision to reach out for help, we want services close to home,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

“These 10 treatment beds, plus expanded mental health services, will help people get on their pathway to recovery. In addition to the hundreds of treatment beds we’ve already opened, they’re a vital part of the system of care we’re working urgently to build.”

In addition, the province is expanding existing mental health and substance-use supports for youth and adults in the region, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions stated. This includes adding health-care workers to the intensive case management team, which provides support to people experiencing severe mental-health and/or substance-use concerns, and the integrated treatment team, which provides flexible substance-use treatment.

New early psychosis intervention services are also being added to support people in the early years of living with psychosis. In total, 12 additional staff positions will support these expanded services, which are now offered out of the new office location at 2 – 926 Baker St.

“The care provided at the Recovery Ranch will help people be successful in the early days of their recovery by providing well-supported withdrawal management,” said Diane Shendruk, vice-president, clinical operations (North), Interior Health. “In addition, the facility will strive to offer culturally safe care in a stable setting for young adults to focus on their longer-term wellness goals.”

Carlee Campbell, Edgewood Health Network’s director of operations, Western Canada said, “We are excited about the opportunity to dive into this work, in collaboration with partners in the community and Interior Health, and continue developing the landscape for a recovery-oriented system of care in the Interior. We hope to provide excellent, short- and long-term, person-centered and self-directed services, that are evidence-based, and will strengthen all patient’s recovery capital and will honour both the individual needs of patients, while also relying on the strength of best practice.”

Russell Purdy, executive director of Recovery Ranch added: “As a person in long-term recovery and now fortunate to work in the field, it brings me hope for people struggling with the disease of addiction to have the opportunity to access detox and treatment in a time that it is desperately needed. The partnership between Interior Health and Edgewood Health Network is a great step in bridging the gap for those who want to get help.”

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