A residential withdrawal management (RWM) program for Chatham-Kent has been approved by the province.
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) CEO Lori Marshall said approval for the 10 bed, $1.1 million unit at the hospital in Chatham was given last week and comes with $100,000 in provincial funding for furnishings and equipment. The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has also given the project $500,000 and the rest of the cost will come from community fundraising.
Marshall said she is confident the hospital foundation will raise the remaining $600,000.
“This a significant milestone for CKHA and Chatham-Kent in regards to evidence-based addiction care and recovery,” Marshall said. “I am so pleased that our proposal has received the green light and operational funding from Ontario Health and we can take our next steps towards implementing a 10-bed RWM unit at CKHA.”
She also noted the province is providing $1.3 million a year to operate the withdrawal management program and that funding will continue in perpetuity.
Marshall said renovations will begin a soon as possible and should be finished by June.
CKHA said a 3-bed unit will operate while the renovations are underway and the expectation is to accept patients before the end of March.
The unit will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Chatham hospital in the former outpatient mental health services building, which currently houses administrative offices. CKHA's Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) Clinic will also move to the Chatham site once the renovations are complete.
The residential withdrawal management program helps individuals who struggle with substance use, including drugs, alcohol, and/or prescription medications. Marshall said an average length of stay would be between five and seven days and then individuals would be connected with other treatment options.
“We know the need for treatment and services provided by RWM programs have risen, particularly since the onset of the pandemic,” said Alan Stevenson, Vice President of Mental Health and Addictions Program at CKHA. “Having greater access to mental health and substance use support services locally is imperative for the health and well-being of our community. The harm reduction and recovery-oriented approach offered through RWM ensures a safe, supportive environment for individuals requiring these services.”
CKHA said 186 Chatham-Kent residents were admitted to withdrawal programs in Windsor or Sarnia last year, a 9 per cent increase over the previous fiscal year. In that same fiscal year, hospital officials said 562 patients were seen in the Chatham or Wallaceburg Emergency Department with a primary diagnosis of substance use disorder.
Prior to this, Chatham-Kent was the only region in Southwestern Ontario that did not operate a residential withdrawal management unit.
