Many people seeking treatment for substance abuse are still being turned away despite the recent successes of a new pilot project.
Officials with St. Joseph’s Care Group say its Balmoral Centre’s successful pilot program continues to turn people away every year because of capacity issues.
The Balmoral Centre was commissioned in 1986 to help people who suffered from alcohol abuse, however, in the last 20 years the centre has seen an increase in different types of substance abuse.
That led officials to rethink how they could better deliver services.
In 2013, officials approached the North West Local Health Integration Network to receive funding for a two-year pilot project to introduce and incorporate nursing staff and modify how they were delivering services.
“We initially saw some significant changes,” said St. Joseph's concurrent disorders director Nancy Black Tuesday morning at Balmoral Centre.
“The success of the project in terms of occupancy was more than we expected, we went from 30 per cent occupancy to operating the entire facility at 104 per cent.”
In 2012 the centre was admitting 1,300 clients per year and they were turning away 1,200 clients because of the capacity issues.
The centre is now serving more than 2,600 clients per year, but despite those numbers the centre is still forced to turn an estimated 1,300 people away every year.
The centre is at full capacity every day and that has a lot to do with the length of stay. Some clients are with the centre for a few hours while others need much more time for their treatment.
“With the number of people we are still turning away, we recognize that increases pressures from first responders, EMS, police, and our emergency department that more needs to be done,” Black said.
“What needs to be done is what we are investigating right now.”
Not everyone is looking for withdrawal management services, which was what the centre was originally designed for.
“We need to work with our partners to really understand what the needs are for people needing these services.”
She added that they’ve seen a substantial increase in the number of youth and young adults, from 16- to 24-years-old.
The community is changing, clients and families need different services and the centre is trying to work with them directly to determine what services the centre should be providing.
Black said the centre needs to work closely with community partners in order to provide a comprehensive plan and services to meet client’s entire needs.
“We know that if people don’t get access to the services they need in some instances situations will get work, some instances people’s lives will remain unchanged and largely the same, and some people can get better on their own,” Black said.
“We want to be mindful of making sure that we are doing the right thing for the people most in need at the right place and the right time.”
