Mental Health and Substance Use clinic on 32nd Avenue in Vernon. (Vernon Matters file photo)

By Liam Verster

Youth and Safe Supply Programs

Downtown Vernon substance use clinic adding new programs

Mar 14, 2023 | 12:26 PM

The Mental Health and Substance Use facility in downtown Vernon is enhancing operations.

Speaking to Vernon city council at its meeting Monday, Megan Thorne, director of clinical operations with Interior Health, stated the clinic on 32nd Avenue has some new initiatives, including one targeting younger people.

“Youth Intensive Care Management is an outreach-based service. We work with youth aged 12 to 24 with moderate to severe substance use who may or may not experience concurrent disorders,” Thorne told council.

“We make sure to provide low-barrier outreach services to those who may benefit from more of an assertive engagement, outreach, wrap-around services, and connection to longitudinal supports. The focus is client-centred and an integrated team based care.”

The goals of the youth care program are stabilization, improving quality of life, decreasing substance use related harms, and increase wellness for the youth and their families. Through the program, the youth can be transferred to lower-tiered services after six months.

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“Our current case load is six [youth] and we have four active new referrals,” Thorne added.

The other new initiative running out of the Vernon facility is a Prescribed Safer Supply Fentanyl Patch Program to provide people with an alternative to the current illicit drug supply.

“The team will discuss and review potential clients who will be appropriate for the fentanyl patch program. The prescriber meets with the client and initiates prescription and applies for special authority, and the safe supply nurse books patch change appointments with the client,” Thorne explained.

“The safe supply nurse meets or accompanies a client to one of our two pharmacies that we’re working with to do patch changes. A pharmacist prepares the fentanyl patches according to the prescription and then hands the patch to the safe supply nurse. The safe supply nurse performs assessment, removes the previous patch or patches, and applies new and completes the documentation.”

In these cases the nurse also performs basic care on the client and assists with navigating addiction and mental health supports and services.

It was noted that the patches only last approximately 72 hours, and Thorne reaffirmed that the patches can only come through the select pharmacies with the prescription and must be administered by the nurse.

Speaking with Vernon Matters following the meeting Monday, Mayor Victor Cumming stated the new programs, especially the youth focused care, is important for Vernon.

“Bringing youth mental health services to Vernon and area is really critical, and anybody who deals with youth knows that, so that’s a tremendous addition,” Cumming said.

“The introduction of patches for those who have addictions issues is a great step forward. Indicating that the patch lasts 72 hours, this is all provided under prescription, this is really a good step forward and quite a few people are now into this program. Boy, it sure moves people out of the illegal drugs which we all know are contaminated, so that’s another really good strategy I think from the health side.”

The new programs build off the existing operations, which include overdose prevention services; drug checking; nurse prescribed safe supply; outpatient withdrawal management; and opioid agnostic treatment (OAT).

As of February 28, 2023, the downtown Vernon addiction clinic had 141 active OAT clients, 90 per cent of whom had been in the program for longer than three months.

Additionally, there were six individuals accessing prescribed safe supply, with two other cases pending.

“Many of our combination of OAT and prescribed safe supply [clients] see decreased illicit substance use and improved social determinants of health,” Thorne told council.

“Nurse prescribers in Vernon have written over 390 prescriptions for Suboxone, Methadone or Kadian. It’s the highest number of prescriptions written by nurse prescribers in B.C.”

Thorne added that 2022 saw a total of 3,691 visits to the facility, including 716 consumption visits and 2,617 harm reduction visits.

Cumming told Vernon Matters the statistics from the clinic are a good sign of what can, and is, being done to address the issue rather than ignoring it and hoping it would go away on its own.

“Treat it as a health issue, treat it with what is needed from a medical point of view and this is done by prescription, so I think this is a good step forward,” Cumming remarked.

“It gets them out of the criminal loop as well and I think that’s really important.”

Looking ahead, the Mental Health and Substance Use facility looks to increase staffing levels; extend hours, as the site is currently open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays; provide services seven days a week; and build capacity within the OAT program.

“I think extending hours outside of the typical 8 to 4 p.m., so going even to seven o’clock in the evening would be a good start,” Thorne said.

Additionally, as more people are hired and services are expanded, they will likely need a larger site to operate, as they currently have some staff members working at other locations, including the hospital and in a trailer outside the clinic, though Thorne said as of now, they are not seeking a new home.

Thorne noted the past two years saw lots of investments in mental health services in Vernon, and data on those initiatives will be brought forward at the next update to council.

Thorne declined a request for further comment from Vernon Matters following the meeting Monday.