Penticton mulls detox centre as drug users face two-week waits

It’s a 14-day wait for drug users who want to detox in the Okanagan, so the City of Penticton may lobby the province to fund a new in-patient centre.

The only facility in the region currently is in Kelowna and the distance, plus the two-week wait, means some people miss their opportunities to get in, according to a report to Penticton city council.

Council is considering whether to lobby the province to fund a new voluntary detox centre in Penticton, which would make it the fourth in the Interior Health region.

According to the report, Castlegar has the shortest wait time with an average 2.5 days, while Kamloops typically averages six days.

If approved at its meeting, March 3, council would lobby Interior Health, the province and local MLAs to see the detox facility built and other housing and drug recovery services bolstered.

However, this comes as BC faces a major budget deficit and, just months ago, Penticton turned down a BC Housing tiny homes project it had initially lobbied for. The tiny homes would have helped get homeless people on the road to permanent housing.

While Kamloops has a detox centre, council has also been lobbying the province for a so-called sobering centre. It would serve as a replacement to placing intoxicated people in city cells, commonly referred to as “drunk tanks.”

The lobbying effort for the sobering centre in Kamloops, which has been going on for years, has been unsuccessful.

For Penticton, the local drive for a detox centre comes not only out of concerns over lengthy wait times but also the travel required. Prospective patients could back out within the 14-day window and, if they don’t, they need travel arranged for the way to Kelowna and back.

The only other local option is a potential stay at Penticton Regional Hospital or outpatient programs, according to the cit staff report.