Health and Social Services Minister Mildred Dover advised today that the construction of a new provincial Addictions Centre and the expansion of community addictions programs across the province are meant to better meet the needs of Islanders.
"While there are concerns on the part of some people regarding the relocation of detoxification beds to a provincial facility," she said, "there will be no loss of jobs or services in their communities, and in fact the number of jobs, services and financial resources will be increased in each of the five health regions."
The minister said she has received specific concerns from people in East Prince regarding access and transportation to the provincial facility.
"These anxieties are understandable," she said, "and I want to assure people across the province that the safety of clients will remain a primary concern. Medical stabilization will be provided when necessary in hospital where it is most appropriate. When it is safe to move people to the provincial facility for treatment, if the family and friends are unable to provide transportation, transportation will be arranged, whether it is by ambulance, police or through the generous assistance that has always been provided by members of the AA community." Access to the provincial facility will be monitored on a regular basis by a provincial committee which will include representatives from each health region.
The Minster stressed that, while some people perceive the change as a loss, there will actually be a large gain in services. She said that presently most of our Addictions resources are consumed by staffing detoxification beds primarily for male alcoholics, and that programs for women, youth and people multi-addicted to drugs and gambling are very limited.
"We cannot continue to ignore the growing and pressing needs of women, youth, problem gamblers and their families. By redistributing our resources we hope to meet the needs of a much larger group of people. At the same time, we are addressing the serious need to replace our aging, unsafe and inadequate facilities with a modern health centre designed to meet the needs of a much wider group of people with a variety of addictions," she said.
Further development of regional Addictions services will be an important part of the planning process for the new East Prince Health Facility during the next few months, said the minister.
Minister Dover said she respects the need for people to express their concerns, and especially those who have been well served by the present detoxification units. "It is because of the wonderful treatment and support that clients have received by caring staff in these facilities that the occupancy rates have been steadily declining for the past number of years. And because of this service, we have Islanders who are now fully participating in all walks of Island life."
The minister said she hopes that, through further dialogue and information sharing, there will be a greater understanding of the need for change and the benefits the new services will bring to all Islanders with addictions, as well as the family members and friends who are affected by them.
"Although it is estimated that one of three people with addictions are women, only one in fourteen people presently admitted to our inpatient detox beds are women. We have had wonderful success with our community adolescent treatment programs and programs for youth in our schools, and we want to build on that success. Addictions is one of the most serious health and social issues confronting Islanders today, and the new programs are designed to fight this problem in proven appropriate ways," she said.
She also noted that, while there is some concern that detoxification beds are being centralized in Charlottetown, outpatient services will be expanded and decentralized in each of the five health regions. "For example, residents in West Prince have been lobbying for many years for more Addictions services in their community. Now, residents of West Prince and Southern Kings will have access to the same level of service as other regions, and we hope that with these new, increased and expanded community programs, the need for inpatient services will continue to decline as it has in recent years."
The new directions for Addictions Services were developed based on the recommendations of the McQuaid Report which was released by Government to the public in April 1998. The 1997 Provincial Review of Addictions was based on extensive consultation and follow-up with health services providers, educators, physicians, members of the self-help community, and Addictions Services clients.