Nova Scotia Health runs only 27 inpatient withdrawal beds, located in Dartmouth, Sydney and Springhill. The Annapolis Valley health zone – where Barbara lived – has none of these beds.

Janah Fair, director for mental health and addictions in the northern zone, explains that the average stay in Nova Scotia’s inpatient units is just a few days to a week. By contrast, New Brunswick offers programmes that last 35 to 90 days, and Prince Edward Island provides a 21‑day bed‑based program.

The province’s main strategy is outpatient care. Nova Scotia Health operates 12 recovery support centres and 22 opioid recovery clinics, where people can walk in and receive immediate help.

Private options also exist. Crosbie House Recovery and Addiction Centre in New Minas reports that three out of four residents stay abstinent one year after leaving the programme.

Leslie Tilley, who has herself spent weeks in residential treatment, argues that families need weeks of round‑the‑clock support to give patients a stable start to sobriety. Without such long‑term beds, many people return home too early, increasing the risk of relapse and, in tragic cases like Barbara’s, death.