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Kelowna to get 6 recovery beds for women

6 recovery beds for women

More support is coming to Kelowna for women who need help recovering from substance misuse.

The province announced Monday that Karis Support Society service in Kelowna will have six new beds offering tailored support for pregnant women and women with children to help reach their recovery goals.

These local beds were part of a larger provincial rollout of 26 new publicly funded treatment and recovery beds for what the province describes as underserved populations.

There were 12 recovery beds at Harbour Light Centre in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside; six beds at the Island Crisis Care in Nanaimo and two beds at 333 Recovery program.

"When someone reaches out for help with their substance use, they should receive compassionate and effective care," Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, said in a press release.

"We are expanding services across B.C. so more people have the supports they need to stabilize their lives and begin their healing journey."

Support for women in need of recovery is particularly needed in Kelowna, Helen Jennens of Moms Stop the Harm says.

She notes that while the largest percentage of people dying from the toxic drug supply is young men, using alone in their homes, statistics are showing that the number of women affected by the drug crisis are also on the rise.

"There is more out there for men, so this is really awesome," Jennens said Monday, on a break from a speaking engagement about the overdose crisis in B.C. at a local school.

"Anything we can put in place for people’s recovery is an exceptional."

That said, the effort to address recovery for people in all walks has fallen short of need.

"We need more treatment and recovery options and they keep promising they’re going to give it — and it’s a way they can step away from decriminalization and safe supply— but it's still not where it needs to be," Jennens said.

In the meantime, she still sees a need for destigmatization and support.

"The toxic drug crisis has claimed far too many lives, and we know women dealing with substance use face very complex challenges and a unique journey towards recovery," Jennifer Blatherwick, parliamentary secretary for gender equity, said in a statement.



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