Addiction assessment nurses are now on duty at emergency rooms across the region, including at Ridge Meadows Hospital.
“When people in crisis require immediate support, they need to be met with care and compassion by those who understand what they are going through and how to best support them,” said Lisa Beare, MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows. “By having addiction assessment nurses in hospital emergency departments, we are supporting recovery by helping people access services faster and more effectively.”
Addiction assessment nurses now support patients in nine ERs in the Fraser Health region, with a goal to streamline access to personalized treatment and recovery services. The province announced the new initiative on May 14.
Addiction assessment nurses work collaboratively with patients, ER teams, addiction medicine physicians, and community services to assess substance-use and care needs, and then help them access the right treatment and recovery services. Since 2020, more than 6,000 patients have received this specialized care, and have been connected to treatment and recovery services in hospitals and communities.
“People facing substance-use challenges deserve compassionate, trauma-informed care,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “Addiction assessment nurses play a key role in reducing barriers to care and ensuring people in crisis have access to the right supports. These nurses are an important part of the government’s dedication to strengthening mental-health and substance-use services around the province to support people on their journey to recovery.”
Introduced at Surrey Memorial Hospital and Burnaby Hospital in 2020, the program expanded in April 2024 to 30 full-time-equivalent positions in nine hospitals. The program now includes Abbotsford Regional Hospital, Chilliwack General Hospital, Fraser Canyon Hospital, Langley Memorial Hospital, Peace Arch Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital and Ridge Meadows Hospital.
“There is a growing demand to improve access to substance-use services when someone visits an emergency department and our role as addiction assessment nurses helps to connect people with the care they need,” said Decery Frondoso, addiction assessment nurse at Langley Memorial Hospital. “We had a patient who was worried about relapsing during their transition from hospital to their community, and by securing support and resources, the patient was able to move closer to their goals.”
Similar health-care professionals, including mental-health and substance-use specialists and liaisons, are available in hospitals and communities throughout B.C.
