Health regions to continue providing addictions services

Butt agrees with that, in theory.

“At a certain level I agree with them, it should be, but it hasn’t in the past under the existing structure and function, so how are we going to ensure it is being done in the future. Saying that (the support) should be there and ensuring that it is there are two different things.”

Mental health and addictions services have been delivered through the health region since the beginning, but there are gaps with monitoring, quality improvement and in some cases service delivery, Butt said

“There are some glaring gaps throughout the systems, in some areas more so than others, both in terms of geography and in terms of programs.”

The intent of an independent addictions agency was not to provide services the heath regions were, but to provide oversight with one arm or branch dedicated to prevention and educations, another certifications and standards and a third for evaluation, monitoring, reporting and program development, he said.

Butt said he is hopeful there will be a mechanism to support and direct the health regions, but he hasn’t yet heard what it is.

“No to an independent agency, what I haven’t heard yet, is how are they going to do it through the existing system, how are they going to close these gaps.”

Some health regions are doing a really good job of streamlining the mental health, the ministry plans to work with others that aren’t as efficient, said McMorris.

“One of the main recommendations was standardizing service delivery,” he said.

“That was one of the main, key recommendations, and that’s what we’ll be working on.”

The Ministry of Health will push to increase the service across the whole province, with a provincial level of oversight, McMorris said.

Chuck McCann, director of addictions services for the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region, and a former addictions advisory committee member, said he is torn with the health ministry decision.

“On one hand we lose the pluses that an individual agency could give us,” he said, listing a research arm and enhanced training and certification among them

“As far as the other recommendations, I’m pretty confident that they’ll actually happen through the health region delivery system.”

He said he sees the advantage to strengthening the current systems, so all the health care services are used fully and people with addictions don’t just end up using emergency services.

It’s now up the ministry to decide how to respond to the need for addictions services within the current structure and resources, said Butt.

news@panow.com

by Angela Hill

Health regions to continue providing addictions services

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