Surrey, B.C. — Access to substance-use detox and recovery services in Surrey is set to expand, with 10 new withdrawal management beds added at the Creekside Withdrawal Management Centre.
The expansion was announced Wednesday by provincial officials as part of B.C.’s Road to Recovery model, aimed at improving access to evidence-based, low-barrier addiction care across the province.
Creekside, operated by Fraser Health, provides short-term medical supervision for individuals withdrawing from alcohol or drugs, along with outpatient support programs. The addition of new beds is expected to reduce wait times and help meet growing demand in Surrey and the broader Fraser Health region.
Alongside the new beds, the centre will receive a dedicated transport van to help bring clients from across the region to the facility. A full-time Indigenous cultural adviser will also join the team, strengthening culturally safe and trauma-informed care.
Additional physicians, clinical staff, and peer-support workers are being added to support the centre’s expanded capacity.
“People facing substance-use challenges should be able to access evidence-based care without stigma,” said Surrey City Centre MLA and parliamentary secretary for mental health and addictions Amna Shah. “The expansion of this program will help ensure more people can get the support they need, when they need it.”
Health Minister Josie Osborne said the Road to Recovery approach is designed to remove common barriers to treatment, including long waits, distance, and stigma.
The program, first launched in 2023 at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, has since expanded to Fraser Health, Island Health, and Interior Health. In Surrey, outpatient services at Creekside are also being enhanced, including new day, evening, and weekend programs that provide access to specialized clinicians.
Rehabilitation and recovery supports are now available region-wide through a team of nine clinicians, including occupational therapists, vocational counsellors, and recreation therapists, focused on helping people build life skills and maintain long-term recovery.
A rapid-access satellite addiction clinic has also opened in Hope, offering same-day, low-barrier addiction medicine services to residents in the eastern Fraser Valley.
Residents seeking help can contact Access Central, available seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., at 1-833-866-6478.
