Funding for addictions treatment services in BC was announced by the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Sheila Malcolmson earlier this week, but details about where exactly that funding will go are still being hashed out.
Malcolmson said over 65 projects are being funded across the province, with a Sobering and Assessment Centre slated for Prince George, but said more information will be available in the coming weeks and months.
“That level of detail in some cases is still to come. We’ve had health authorities frame out what they need. In some cases, the announcement was extremely specific,” said Malcolmson.
She added that some programs are already up and running elsewhere in the province, others will be opening in the next few weeks, and more will be coming in the future.
“We know how urgent the need is. We know how many gaps there are in addictions prevention and treatment right now. And so we are determined, and we’re pressing the health authorities to work as fast as they can to get new services up and running.”
Malcolmson recognized that Prince George has been asking for a Sobering Centre for years, and knows that there is a lot of work to do to build the system out.