The Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CORE) said it has welcomed a group of healthcare professionals to assist it in the first phase of its development of detox and bed-based addiction treatment standards for Albertans. Under the leadership of CORE Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Nathaniel Day, it said Quality Standards Group (QSG) members Dr. Mark Weiss, Dr. Alvis Yu, Dr. Meldon Kahan, Dr. Derek Borowka, and Katie Dunham will form it to provide their expertise and specialized clinical guidance to inform standards and best practices pertaining to the safety and quality of withdrawal management and bed-based care.“Addiction and mental health services must innovate, track outcomes, and evaluate programs to ensure those who need help get the best care possible,” said Day in a Thursday press release. “I look forward to working with these distinguished experts to ensure Albertans are receiving high-quality care in their recovery journey.”CORE noted there are many pathways to recovery — often including detox or bed-based treatment. Additionally, it said patients suffering from addiction at this stage are at a vulnerable point in their recovery journey and should receive consistent standards of care, regardless of where they are receiving services.QSG members will support CORE’s mission to find the most effective ways to support recovery. Their mandate is to provide advice on the clinical and administrative requirements to improve withdrawal management protocols delivered within the Alberta Recovery Model for the scope and duration of this project.CORE concluded by saying the next phase of this project will see it engage with treatment providers and other relevant stakeholders to gain insight and reach consensus on identifiable gaps and industry best practices for bed-based addiction treatment. It said this advice will be shared with the mental health and addiction minister to ensure excellent, effective services are delivered across Alberta. The Alberta government put forward a bill to establish CORE in April to what it says will inform best practices in mental health and addiction services..UPDATED: Alberta government tables bill to establish Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence .“CORE will be an essential partner to government in assessing mental health and addiction services that produce strong outcomes for Albertans on the path to recovery,” said Alberta Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams. “The expanded research that CORE will provide allows for more evidence-based decisions under the Alberta Recovery Model.”Alberta Mental Health and Addiction could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
