New investments in mental health and addictions services will provide Islanders with better access to the care and resources they need while ensuring new controls are put in place to help curb prescription drug abuse in the province, says Health and Wellness Minister Doug Currie.
“Whether it’s a family member, co-worker or friend, everyone knows someone struggling with mental health or addictions – one in five Islanders is impacted directly,” said the minister. “Our government is committed to ensuring all Islanders receive the resources and support they need to lead a healthy life.”
The Government of Prince Edward Island is investing approximately $1.2 million in immediate actions to address concerns of rising prescription drug abuse and appoint a new provincial Chief Mental Health and Addictions Officer charged with developing a long-term provincial strategy on mental health and addictions.
The Chief Mental Health and Addictions Officer’s sole focus will be on improving mental health and addictions services and supports. Dr. Rhonda Matters, a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience in community mental health, education and private sectors has been named the Chief Mental Health and Addictions Officer and will begin work this month. She has been asked to immediately engage community organizations and government departments and agencies to advise her in the development of the long-term strategy.
“We need to transform the way mental health services are delivered in Prince Edward Island,” said Dr. Richard Wedge, CEO of Health PEI. “The appointment of a Chief Mental Health and Addictions Officer will help us address gaps in the delivery of mental health and addictions services and supports while ensuring that government, communities, organizations, and all Islanders see the essential role they play in supporting the mental health of Islanders and preventing and reducing addiction.”
Government will also take action to address the immediate concerns of rising prescription drug abuse:
• Establishing a 10-bed transition unit within the provincial addictions facility. These beds will be available for clients who have successfully gone through detox but require additional support before returning to their communities.
• Expanding methadone treatment access, including the creation of a community-based, low-threshold methadone clinic. This new centrally-located clinic will reduce the existing wait list for methadone treatment and improve access for clients unable to travel. In addition, methadone treatment in Summerside has been expanded through the addition of one new administrator and one new registered nurse.
• Expanding access to Suboxone.
• The hiring of three new frontline positions to improve access by helping people navigate through the system in such areas as intake and complex cases.
• Supporting the start up of a non-government organization that will launch a youth addictions after-care project that will offer community-based programming to support youth in transition from addictions treatment back to their community. The department will provide funding to the Reach Foundation over two years to support the community-led program.
• Mandating the review of prescription drug coverage in P.E.I. to reduce instances of prescription drug misuse. The department will work with the leadership of physicians, nurses and pharmacists to increase education and improve best practices regarding the prescribing of drugs most commonly abused.
• Monitoring and reporting of drugs under the Narcotics Safety and Awareness Act, including the appointment of an inspector to investigate potential problems.
“The face of addictions is changing across Canada, and the unfortunate reality is that prescription drug abuse is a growing problem on our Island,” said the minister. “These initiatives strike the right balance between ensuring those Islanders who struggle with addictions receive the resources and support they require, and ensuring the proper controls are in place to help curb illegal drug use.”
These initiatives follow a review of mental health and addictions services in the province. As part of this review, a report, available online (www.gov.pe.ca/mha), was completed by MRSB. A critical part of the review was a public survey asking about people’s experiences with the mental health or addictions system, what they feel is working well and what needs to be improved. More than 1,100 Islanders responded, while interviews were conducted with more than 20 partner groups.
Islanders clearly indicated that action needs to be taken on tackling prescription drug abuse, improving access to mental health and addictions services while making the health-care system more integrated, and improving mental health education and awareness.
As part of their mandate, the Chief Mental Health and Addictions Officer will consider the recommendations of the MRSB report when developing the provincial mental health and addictions strategy.
“I want to thank Islanders for sharing their thoughts and helping to strengthen our mental health and addictions services,” said the minister. “This is a complex file and there is still more work to be done. That’s why we’ll continue to work with our partners, municipalities, law enforcement and all Islanders to continue to reduce the instances of addictions and provide Islanders with the mental health and addictions supports they require.”