The Nova Scotia government has announced the opening of a support centre in Middleton, N.S., for people dealing with substance use or a gambling disorder in the Annapolis Valley area.
The Middleton Recovery Centre will now provide in-person assessments, outpatient withdrawal management and recovery support programming, including one-on-one and group support.
This is the third centre to open since the province announced its commitment of $1.7 million toward opening 10 recovery support centres over the next two years.
The first recovery centre opened in Dartmouth in January and the second in New Glasgow in February.
The recovery centre at Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Middleton will also connect patients to other levels of care, such as community mental health and addictions clinics or opioid recovery programs, the province said in a release.
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“Nova Scotians living with addictions need more supports closer to home,” said Brian Comer, minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health. “The reopening of this centre under the new care model will further strengthen the supports for those with substance and gambling addictions.”
The staff at the new centre includes a nurse practitioner, physician, nurses, social workers, counsellors, an occupational therapist and administrative staff.
Dr. Dave Martell, a physician lead with Nova Scotia Health, said the centre coming to Middleton has the province “one step closer” to its goal of providing quality care for people with substance use disorders, regardless of where they’re located in Nova Scotia.
“The way we care for people with addictive disorders continues to evolve as new research comes to light and our care models should always reflect current science,” he said.
In the release, the province said four more existing withdrawal management sites in Lunenburg, Strait-Richmond, Sydney and Yarmouth will evolve to the provincial model over the next two years.
New centres will also be set up in Truro, Halifax and North Sydney.
The centre in Middleton is open for people to drop in for services on Monday to Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Appointments can also be made by calling 902-825-0207.