Health
Summary
- The Province, in partnership with Island Health, is adding eight new supportive recovery and stabilization beds to serve people with addiction challenges in the Alberni Valley and West Coast
- The beds will support people 19 and older who require bed-based treatment services to support them in meeting their recovery goals
- Patients will be accepted as of late summer 2026
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People with substance-use challenges in the Alberni Valley and West Coast will have access to more supports closer to home with the opening of eight new substance-use beds.
“Every person’s path through addiction, treatment and recovery is different, and it is rarely a straight line,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “I know how important it is for people experiencing addictions in the Alberni Valley to be able to get help close to home, surrounded by their community and the people who care about them. This is an important addition to the continuum of care in our community and part of the Road to Recovery model that is strengthening how people are supported across Vancouver Island and B.C.”
New service offers help closer to home
The Province, in partnership with Island Health, is opening eight new supportive recovery and stabilization beds, making it easier to access substance-use care without facing barriers, such as travel and cost.
The service will operate 24 hours a day at the Inlet Recovery Home to help people in their recovery journey so they can receive care and stabilize in a community setting. The service is designed for people who require bed-based recovery and supports them throughout their healing journey by helping them to return home or continue with care. As of late summer 2026, patients will be accepted.
Clients will typically stay between 30 and 90 days, receiving recovery-oriented care. Activities focus on goal setting, recovery and wellness programming and coaching for daily living in preparation for transition back to community living.
“For many people in Port Alberni up until now, getting this level of care meant leaving the community,” said Leah Hollins, board chair, Island Health. “Inlet Recovery Home expands local options, helping people access treatment closer to home in a supportive, community‑based setting.”
Island Health has contracted Connective, a community-based non-profit organization with experience supporting individuals with complex mental-health and substance-use challenges, to operate the service.
The beds are part of B.C.’s Road to Recovery model, designed to help people with substance-use challenges access the care they need at any stage of their recovery journey, from withdrawal management (detox) to treatment and after-care services.
The Province is expanding access to treatment services throughout B.C., ensuring more people can connect with the right care at the right time to support their recovery. It includes 3,829 publicly funded substance-use beds that support people with addictions as of April 2026, of which 879 treatment and recovery beds are new since 2017, launching the Opioid Treatment Access Line and opening Foundry youth centres.
Quotes:
Amna Shah, parliamentary secretary for mental health and addictions –
“Recovery looks different for everyone, but access to care closer to home can make a meaningful difference. These new beds in Port Alberni will help people access the support they need in a safe, community-based setting, while strengthening the continuum of care available across Vancouver Island. This investment reflects our commitment to ensuring people can connect to services that meet them where they are in their recovery journey.”
Andrew Ferguson, director of Vancouver Island, Connective –
“Connective is proud to partner with Island Health to help address a critical gap in recovery services in Port Alberni. We have a long history of supporting people in recovery across Vancouver Island, and look forward to helping residents build stability, strengthen life skills and independence, and reconnect with health and community supports.”
Quick Facts:
- The beds at Inlet Recovery Home can be accessed by calling Westcoast Mental Health and Substance Use at 250-726-1282 or Port Alberni Mental Health and Substance Use at 250-731-1311.
- For additional mental-health and substance-use supports, Access Central is live in Island Health, and people can call 1-888-885-8824, seven days a week, to access an interdisciplinary care team, including addiction medicine physicians who can provide assessment and care co-ordination to people with substance-use disorders.
Learn More:
- To learn how B.C. is building a better system of mental-health and substance-use care, visit: https://gov.bc.ca/BetterCare
