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.