Governments pledge $8.4M to fill detox need

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This article was published 08/12/2018 (2508 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The federal and provincial governments have signed an $8.4-million bilateral agreement to contract out detox services in Winnipeg and Brandon for people addicted to methamphetamine.

The effort will see both levels of government chip in $4.2 million each to fund long-term treatment beds, as well as mobile clinics, made up of a nurse and addictions worker, that will help individuals each day of the week.

The services are modelled after a program in B.C. and are expected to help at least 130 people each year between Winnipeg and Westman.

“This is real help for those who want and need it, and it is made possible by close co-operation between the federal government and the Province of Manitoba,” Federal Minister of International Trade Diversification and Winnipeg South Centre Liberal MP Jim Carr said at a joint press conference with the provincial government Friday morning at the Crisis Response Centre in Winnipeg.

Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen pointed to a number of other government initiatives that are aimed at addressing the meth issue, including the creation of five Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinics — one of which is located in Brandon — which he said have “significantly” reduced wait times for individuals, more treatment beds at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba site on Portage Avenue, providing paramedics with the anti-psychotic medication olanzapine, and a request for proposals (RFP) for a residential addictions facility in the province.

“These initiatives are all important. I can tell you they’re having an impact in the lives of Manitobans who are struggling with addictions. However, we have said over and over again that responsibility for addressing this sharp rise in use of this devastating drug crosses all jurisdictional boundaries,” Friesen said.

“If we are to achieve meaningful progress, if we are to get momentum to curb the use and distribution of meth in our communities, a collaborative and co-ordinated approach is essential.”

The federal portion will come from the $150-million Emergency Treatment Fund, which provides one-time funding to provinces and territories to help treat people with substance-use disorders.

While the fund was originally created to address the country’s opioid crisis, the agreement with Manitoba will be tailored toward the pressing issue of meth, by allowing individuals to stay in treatment beds longer than the standard seven to 10 days.

Manitoba becomes the sixth province to sign an agreement with the federal government. The funding will need to be used by March 2023.

“I commend our government for taking this step, and I hope and pray they will continue to address the long-term needs of both substance abuse and trauma for the users and families, and community as a whole,” said Danielle Lalonde, founder of the support group Westman Families of Addicts, in an email. “I would hug Minister Friesen given the opportunity!”

Addictions treatment advocate Kim Longstreet said the announcement made her feel hopeful for the first time in a long while.

Longstreet, whose son is addicted to meth, has campaigned for a detox centre and more long-term treatment options in Brandon for the past year.

“So to me, everything that has been suggested or requested, it’s here. It’s tangible now. It’s not just a pie-in-the-sky kind of thought. It’s actually going to happen,” she said.

Longstreet was pleased that the plan takes into account how long individuals need to successfully detox from meth, given some require up to a month to recover before entering long-term treatment.

Combined with the prospect of an addictions facility in Manitoba, Longstreet said she couldn’t be happier.

“The very thought that my son, at some juncture in the new year, (can) get into detox and then into a program close to home makes my heart sing.”

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew criticized the province for acting too slowly on the meth crisis and said a lot of details were missing from the announcement, including the number of treatment beds and plans to prevent the spread of diseases related to intravenous drug use.

Kinew has promised to bring a detox centre to Brandon if elected and said the city likely has the demand to warrant a dedicated facility, as opposed to a mobile unit.

“It’s going to take a while for this RFP to get fulfilled, it’s going to be a while before any services actually come to communities across Manitoba, so that’s pretty disappointing and it shows a lack of leadership on the part of the province,” he said.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said while it was good to see the federal and provincial governments acting on the meth issue, he noted the announcement did not include anything on prevention.

He also criticized the government for not acting sooner, despite stories in the media and calls from the opposition parties, and said he hoped treatment would be affordable for those who need it.

“I hope it’s not a Band-Aid solution, but we’ll have to see,” he said.

Friesen said the mobile teams will make as many as three visits per day, and patients would be treated for other addictions, as well, such as alcohol or opioids.

He did not say exactly how many new beds would be created, but said the next step for the province will be to gather bids and decide where best to allocate resources, whether it’s in a hospital or residence-based treatment centre.

Brandon West Progressive Conservative MLA Reg Helwer attended the announcement in Winnipeg and said while meth is top of mind for many people right now, the new treatment beds and mobile clinics will serve as an avenue for all people with addictions who want to get help.

“This is something that is moving rapidly and the … provincial and federal governments are standing together to approach this as a potential solution,” he said. It’s not a one-size-fits-all, but it will be one way to deal with people that have been impacted by meth.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Prairie Mountain Health will issue a request for proposals in 2019 and the tendering process is expected to finish in the spring.

The creation of long-term treatment for withdrawal was recommended in the province’s mental-health and addictions strategy, known as the Virgo report, released earlier in the year.

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