The Diamond Foundation has announced a $20-million donation to fund a brand new Road to Recovery at St. Paul’s Hospital, a ‘first-in-Canada‘ model of treatment that could transform addictions care across the country.

Road to Recovery aims to cut weeks off waitlists and support patients to move through a full spectrum of treatment services all in one location.

It will eventually house 95 beds for seamless transition between all stages of the recovery journey—from the Rapid Access Addiction Clinic through withdrawal management, in-patient recovery-focused beds, transitional housing, outpatient treatment and more. The first beds, focused on stabilization, will open in fall of 2023.

One of the key factors driving substance use-related harms in British Columbia is the lack of a seamless system of care to support people with addiction. Gaps failing to connect prevention, treatment, and recovery mean that people are unable to access the supports they need, when and where they need them.

The Diamond Foundation’s gift is made in honour of Steven Diamond, who is remembered as an “immeasurably giving” addictions counselor and massage therapist with a “healing touch”. While his life was punctuated with long periods of sobriety and joy, he faced a prolonged struggle with substance use disorder that saw him in and out of treatment for years.

“This donation demonstrates the power of philanthropy to drive systemic change,” says Dick Vollet, president and CEO of St. Paul’s Foundation. “Despite the most difficult circumstances, the Diamond family is bravely stepping forward to help fix a broken system—and giving families hope there is a path to recovery.”

The provincial government has also committed $60.9 million toward operating costs.