“Nobody likes to be forced into anything,” said Prairie Harm Reduction’s executive director, Kayla DeMong.
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Tim McLeod said the 15-bed Regina centre — and another that’s set to open next week in Saskatoon — serve as “medically supported detention facilities.” They’re designed for individuals with complex needs who are detained by police as a result of being intoxicated and deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) executive director Kayla DeMong says it’s often hard for people to seek out or agree to treatment when they aren’t ready to face their addiction.
“Nobody likes to be forced into anything,” DeMong said in an interview Wednesday. “Substance use is a symptom. It is not the root cause and the root cause is often linked to trauma.”
When individuals are forced into treatment unwillingly, whether court-ordered or otherwise, DeMong says relapses are frequent upon release as well as suicides.
“They’re left with an open wound and no coping skills,” said DeMong. “It’s the only way they can imagine taking away the pain.”
DeMong added that questions of where and how individuals will be released from complex care have been raised in conversations with community members and other organizations.
“There isn’t a lot of clarification on what that discharge plan will look like,” said DeMong.
In a recent interview, McLeod said a discharge plan will be developed between the facility operator, the police and the individual who was detained to determine if they are to be transported to an addictions treatment centre or other community partners. If the individual does not agree to access those services, officers transport them to the police station, where they are then discharged.
“It’s hard to encourage somebody to go into treatment when they’re going to be released back into homelessness,” said DeMong. “A big part of preparing people for treatment and getting people to that point is looking at those basic needs first.”
PHR, which is based in Saskatoon, offers supports related to harm reduction and also operates a safe consumption site.
While people often assume these individuals are against treatment, DeMong says it is all part of the continuum of care.
“You have to get somebody to the point where they are ready for treatment,” she said.
“I think the province is currently lacking in their education and understanding of what substance abuse looks like and what substance disorder is,” said DeMong. “It’s not just a matter of sticking somebody (into treatment).”
In April, the Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan governments established a partnership in “building systems of care focused on recovery” after attending the Recovery Capital Conference of Canada in Calgary. The conference focused on the Alberta Recovery Model, which the province’s website says is a “coordinated network of personalized, community-based services for people at risk of or experiencing addiction and mental health challenges.”
While Saskatchewan is in partnership with Alberta, McLeod said the complex care facilities in Regina and Saskatoon were not modelled after the ICC in Edmonton.
Regina’s new facility, located in a building formerly known as the Pioneer Village seniors complex, carried out a “soft opening” on Tuesday. Insp. Shawn Fenwick confirmed Wednesday that Regina police have already “utilized the program and taken individuals there,” adding that “everything went smooth” on their end.
The facilities in the Queen City and Saskatoon are part of an 18-month pilot program in conjunction with the Provincial Approach to Homelessness (PATH), which was initiated last fall.
— With files from Anna Junker of the Edmonton Journal
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