Timmins hospital provides update on withdrawal management programs
Since March 7, 2022, the Timmins and District Hospital has helped around 280 people who were admitted for help in treating their addictions to opioids, alcohol or other substances.
“Like any other medical issue, people who use substances can present to their emergency department, not just in here, but throughout the district, as well," said Patrick Nowak, manager of the addictions program at Timmins and District Hospital.
“We do have addictions physicians on call and we can do those hospital-to-hospital transfers.”
Nowak said the hospital meets patients where they're at and they decide how they want to be treated and the duration. He said nothing is forced upon them.
The hospital can also refer people to other community-based recovery programs and there is even the option to receive treatments at home.
“Some patients are not very comfortable coming to the hospital," said Brigitte Potvin, a registered nurse with the addictions medicine consult team and the community withdrawal management service.
"For those individuals, they will actually do it as an outpatient basis and again, it will take a little bit longer because there’s not 24-hour monitoring.”
Another benefit of being admitted to hospital is patients can access other departments to ensure a more positive outcome.
So far, the hospital has received nearly 3,000 calls from people for help with their addictions. It said no one is turned away and no one is put on a waiting list.
It has even treated people from Barrie and North Bay.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.