After nearly 50 years, Penticton addictions services centre closes due to lack of funding

A clinic that has long offered addictions-related services in B.C.'s South Okanagan is closing permanently due to a lack of funding.

The Pathways Addictions Resource Centre in Penticton, founded in 1975, announced in a press release on July 5 that it is shutting down and suspending all community services from July 31 onwards, two years after losing funding from Interior Health in the summer of 2021.

Sherry Ure, the centre's board chair, said the non-profit has been relying on donations from communities across the Okanagan and Similkameen regions, but has been struggling to maintain a steady flow of financial support.

"People just rallied behind us and it was just an amazing groundswell of support," Ure told host Chris Walker on CBC's Daybreak South.

"Unfortunately, this sort of support isn't always something that you can continue on a long-term basis."

Pathways serves around 1,000 clients annually, offering various services including counselling and conducting drug-use prevention education in schools.

However, the non-profit lost over 90 per cent of its budget when Interior Health took over management of addictions services across the South Okanagan in May 2021, to streamline addictions-related services provided by the health authority. 

At the time, Interior Health told CBC News there would be no reduction in services for people with addiction issues as they had received increased funding from the provincial government.

However, Ure said on Monday that Interior Health has been having staffing issues, hindering their ability to fulfil their promise to Pathways.

"I know that they are doing the best that they can, but it hasn't really stepped up to the mark the way it should."

Dr. Shallen Letwin, vice president of clinical operations in the South Okanagan with Interior Health, said they have hired nine additional substance use counsellors for the region in the last two years, and are working to hire two more in the future. 

She said there has been counsellor turnover although she did not say how many positions were unfilled as of today.

"We have a high percentage of filled positions … I don't have the exact number with me at the top of my hand," she said.

Last year, data from the B.C. Coroners Service showed that Penticton recorded 63.2 drug toxicity deaths per 100,000 people, higher compared to neighbouring areas like the city of Vernon (62.1) and the Central Okanagan region (39.6).

Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield expressed sadness over Pathways' closure after decades of service.

"The majority of the heavy lifting for mental health counselling in Penticton was done by Pathways," he told CBC News.

"A lot of people in the community were sad to hear about the closure."

Ure said Pathways would direct its clients to other non-profit organizations in the region for addictions services.