The planned closing has devastated more than 400 patients who rely on the program, with some now in a state of panic.
Meanwhile, the entire MUHC addiction treatment team — composed of psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, psycho-educators and nurses — released a statement denouncing the phased closing by December, saying the news has “devastated” more than 400 patients for whom the program is a lifeline.
Addressing reporters after the city’s executive committee meeting, Plante spoke at length about the potential impact of the program’s closing, especially amid the ongoing opioid crisis.
“I was very shocked to hear about the program that will stop within the McGill University hospital. This program is about fighting addiction and right now in Montreal, knowing everything that is happening, especially in the downtown core where the (MUHC) is, we need more resources (on) the streets and in the hospital, not less.
“So I don’t understand this decision,” she added. “It worries me, because everybody wants to have (a social mix), but there has to be direct tools to make sure the cohabitation goes well … We need programs like this. So hopefully the government will forget about dropping this program because it took everybody by surprise.”
As opposition to the controversial decision grows, the press attaché to Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant contradicted the MUHC on a declaration it released last week in which Quebec’s largest hospital network attributed the closing, in part, to following “ministry recommendations.”
“It was their decision,” Lambert Drainville told The Gazette.
Drainville referred a reporter to the Health Ministry for further comment, which was not available immediately.
Dr. Dara Charney, one of the psychiatrists at the MUHC, warned in an interview of the negative consequences of closing the program.
“The reality is, you would be hard pressed to find a family that hasn’t been touched by addictions,” she said. “Emergency rooms are full of patients who are seeking help for the acute or chronic complications of substance use. Withdrawing services from substance use disorders will make this situation worse, not better.”
In their statement, the addiction program team took issue with the assertion by the MUHC that the French-language Centre hospitalier de l’université de Montréal (CHUM) will be able to treat an influx of new patients from the city’s West End.
“It is far from clear that the CHUM is prepared to absorb the volume of patients treated at the MUHC. In fact, several patients who called the CHUM in a panic after learning that the MUHC addiction psychiatry program is closing were not offered services.”
“They’re leaving these very vulnerable patients with not much,” Charney added. “The CHUM will not actually take on these patients. There will be a net loss of services. That is quite concerning.”
The addiction treatment team also challenged claims by the MUHC that their program was in desperate need of modernization:
“The statement regarding the lack of modernization of the addiction psychiatry program is unfounded. The program has gone through multiple updates over the years; both psycho-pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions have evolved over time and are evidence-based (e.g., buprenorphine for opioid use disorders, and integrated psychotherapy for women with concurrent addictions and PTSD). The program’s ‘limits,’ outlined in the MUHC statement, are a direct consequence of underfunding and stigmatizing addiction, not of outdated clinical initiatives on the part of the dedicated team.”
Among related services being shuttered is the recovery transition program, a largely volunteer-driven effort. That program is slated to close in August. Ella Amir, executive director of AMI-Quebec, called the decision to get rid of that program “a disgrace.”
Despite the mayor’s pleas, an MUHC spokesperson said the program will shut down as scheduled.
“The gradual closure over six months is a responsible transition to ensure that those already involved in the program can complete their treatment, and that others can be reoriented,” Bianca Ledoux-Cancilla said in an email, adding that future “services (outside the MUHC) will be provided in the language chosen by the patient, in English or in French.”
The decision to eliminate the MUHC’s addiction day program comes as Quebec — like other provinces and U.S. states — is struggling with an opioid crisis. More than 500 people in the province died from suspected overdoses of opioids or other substances from October 2021 to September 2022, according to statistics from the Institut national de santé publique du Québec.