saskatchewan’s government will fund at least 150 new treatment spaces for people using drugs in a bid to
cut wait times for such services amid a deadly overdose crisis.
the province will pay millions to third-party operators — including private companies — to open between 150 and 200 new spots in addictions treatment beds, outpatient programs, detoxification units and other initiatives in the next three years.
kayla mackay, the program manager of possibilities recovery center inc. in saskatoon, heralded the scope and ambition of the project, saying it could patch holes in a substance use treatment system riddled with gaps that leaves patients stuck in a revolving door of unsuccessful interventions .
“to me, it looked like they’ve been hearing what people are saying,” mackay said.
the saskatchewan coroner’s service estimates a record 425 residents died of an overdose in 2021, more than double the 179 recorded in 2019, a grim total caused in part by a flood of fentanyl into the illicit drug supply.
minister for mental health and addictions everett hindley has touted addictions treatment services as the core of the province’s response.
but a government task force found people who use those services struggled with long waits, programs that were too short in duration and gaps in service that caused many to relapse and repeat the cycle all over again.