Kingston detox centre expanding with provincial funding

Kingston Health Sciences Centre's (KHSC) Detoxification Centre is set to expand its capacity and services following a significant $1.8 million investment from the province. For decades, the center has provided medically supervised support for individuals withdrawing from alcohol and other substances.

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Patients come voluntarily to our detoxification centre. Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, substance abuse disorders that want to be detoxified from their use, which is medically supervised.

Jason Hamm, executive VP for patient care at KHSC, noted a growing demand for services, with a 16 percent increase in admissions last year, totaling just under 1,400. The center, located on Brock Street, is the largest publicly-funded withdrawal management facility between Ottawa and Oshawa, serving a critical role for southeastern Ontario.

The new provincial funding will enable KHSC to hire seven additional nurses, including nurse practitioners and registered practical nurses. This expansion will allow for more consistent, around-the-clock care, enabling the center to medically manage patients undergoing detoxification. Hamm highlighted that this capability helps prevent unnecessary emergency department visits or inpatient admissions at the KGH site.

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Last year we’ve seen about a 16-per cent increase in the number of admissions to our detoxification centre, so just under 1,400 admissions last year, and we’re seeing a steady increase to that.

In addition to staffing increases, the investment will boost the center's capacity by 16 percent and fund necessary renovations. These upgrades aim to ensure the Detoxification Centre can continue to meet the increasing needs of the community and provide essential care to more individuals when they require it most.

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We can manage patients that are detoxifying medically. We’re able to treat them, so that avoids having to send them to our emergency department or requiring an in-patient admission at the KGH site at Kingston health sciences centre. So we’re able to do it safely.