Provincial treatment program for youth substance use issues to reopen in Keremeos

British Columbia youth and young adults with substance use disorders will soon have more supports with the re-opening of an enhanced, specialized, residential treatment program at the Crossing at Keremeos facility.

Scheduled to open in 2017, the new provincial 22-bed program will provide treatment for youth and young adults, aged 17 to 24 years, with substance use disorders that have not been successfully addressed in community programs.

The goal of the new program at the Crossing at Keremeos facility is to provide evidence-based treatment, education and support to:

• reduce problematic substance use;
• improve overall health and social well-being;
• reduce the potential of criminal activity;
• reduce the risk of death due to overdose and infections; and
• successfully transition youth and young adults back to their home communities.

A team of health professionals will work together with clients and their families to establish tailored treatment plans that build on strengths and enhance motivation for recovery. Treatment will include group and individual/family therapy, access to therapeutic recreational activities, life skills training and psycho-social education so clients have tools to successfully transition back to their home communities.

When they are ready to return home, clients and their families will be supported by a network, including local health authorities and the Ministry of Children and Family Development, to ensure they continue to thrive even after leaving the Crossing.

The new program in Keremeos is recognition by the Province of the importance of having a range of services for youth and young adults with substance use disorders. Young people experience many cognitive, social and physical changes that, if affected by substance use, can have negative implications in adulthood. Recent data suggests approximately 14% of people aged 19 to 35 years experience substance use disorders, and rates of mental health and substance use disorders are highest for people aged 15 to 24 years, at nearly 12%.

The program at the Crossing at Keremeos is supported by BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS), an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. PHSA and BCMHSUS will provide oversight for the new program, which will be operated by a contracted service provider, who will be selected through a request for proposal (RFP) process.  Central City Foundation, which owns the Crossing at Keremeos facility, is offering the space to PHSA rent-free.

To ensure that the province’s mental-health programs work effectively together, the provincial government is developing an integrated, cross-government mental-health and substance use strategy for British Columbia. This work includes a review of current child and youth mental-health programs and services. The goal is to address key gaps in the current