Improved Withdrawal Management Services at Balmoral Centre and for Region
“This expansion is something that we’ve long advocated for with the Ministry of Health. Our hospital, the City and the Thunder Bay Police made it clear to us that more detox beds and services were needed. We listened and brought that forward with a sense of urgency. I’m extremely pleased to see that those beds, and the enhanced level of medical support, are becoming a reality. This will help ease pressures on our emergency department and will ultimately improve the overall health of our community. I congratulate all the partners who have worked with us to make this happen.” MPP Michael Gravelle, Thunder Bay-Superior North
The North West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) announced today that it will provide more than $988,000 in funding to increase crisis withdrawal and stabilization services at St. Joseph’s Care Group’s Balmoral Withdrawal Management Centre (Detoxification) in Thunder Bay.
As part of a two-year pilot project, Balmoral Centre will be converted from a Level 2 non-medical facility with seven crisis management beds to a Level 3 facility, with 22 crisis management and stabilization beds, and will include 24-hour nursing support.
“This is great news for our facility, and particularly great news for the people in this region who need support,” said Nancy Black, Director of Concurrent Disorder Services at St. Joseph’s Care Group, which operates the Balmoral Centre. “Credit to the LHIN for understanding that we needed additional resources to meet the increasingly complex needs of people living with addiction in our community.”
Balmoral Centre, which is operated by St. Joseph’s Care Group, was originally designed in 1989 as an alcohol detoxification facility. However, addiction to drugs, particularly prescription opiates, has become more widespread in recent years, and the centre has struggled to meet the growng need.
“When people are unable to access the care they need in their community, they are forced to go the emergency department,” said Laura Kokocinski, CEO of the North West LHIN. “It puts huge strain on our hospitals. We want people receiving the right care, at the right time, in the right place, by the right provider.”
It is expected that the new funding and resources will mean that Balmoral Centre will be able to serve 80 percent more people. By the second year of the project, that will result in an estimated 20 percent reduction in mental health and addiction-related visits to the emergency department at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
In addition, Balmoral Centre will be able to provide more support for home-based withdrawal management services, and the centre will also expand its telemedicine outreach to people in the Northwest who are unable to travel into Thunder Bay.
The expansion of crisis withdrawal management services has been identified as a priority action item within the Thunder Bay Municipal Drug Strategy and was also a major theme of discussion at recent community planning events regarding the Accommodation Needs Assessment for the City of Thunder Bay and in consultation with regional partners.
Tracy Buckler, President & CEO of St. Joseph’s Care Group, emphasized the importance and effectiveness of working collaboratively and across sectors. “For the past few years, we have been working closely with our funders, the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy, and regional partners to address the growing need for services and supports for individuals and families living with substance use issues,” she said. “We look forward to working with our clients, staff and community partners on this initiative.”
LEARN MORE
- For more information on the North West LHIN, please visit www.northwestlhin.on.ca.
- For more information on St. Joseph’s Care Group and the Balmoral Centre, please visit www.sjcg.net.
- The North West LHIN is responsible for planning, integrating and funding local health services – hospitals, long-term care facilities, the Community Care Access Centre, community health centres, community support services and mental health and addictions agencies. The North West LHIN and its Board of Directors are responsible for more than $600 million of health care services delivered in Northwestern Ontario.
