Alberta Premier Danielle Smith acknowledged mental health and addictions used to be an afterthought at the policy table. However, Smith said her government has given mental health and addictions priority status by refocusing efforts and establishing a ministry dedicated to it. “And we’ve been busy,” said Smith in a Wednesday speech at the Recovery Capital Conference in Calgary. She pointed out the Alberta government has established same-day access to counselling services through Counselling Alberta. To improve access to detox, treatment and recovery supports, she said it has funded 10,000 addiction treatment spaces. The Alberta government has made medication-based treatments for opioid addictions available on demand through the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP), with no fees or waitlists. The VODP has grown from five staff in one part of Alberta to more than 100 who support more than 8,000 users in every corner of the province each and every day. It has finished building two of its 11 recovery communities, which are large-scale treatment centres providing care to people at no cost for up to one year. Recovery communities in Red Deer and Lethbridge have been providing treatment to multiple people since they opened. The remaining nine are in various stages of planning and construction. This includes five 75-bed recovery communities being built in direct partnership with indigenous communities across Alberta. She said each of these initiatives is one part of the system it is building, and it is starting to see interesting data emerge. Since 2021, she said deaths from alcohol are down 60%, those from methamphetamine are down 41%, and those from cocaine are down 61%. While the opioid crisis continues to be a significant area of focus for her government, she called it “important to remember that addiction is much more than opioids.” This is because most people struggling with addictions are not using opioids and these deaths are hitting all time lows. To address mental health and addiction issues, she said more work must be done. That is why the Alberta government will be launching Recovery Alberta to improve the mental health and addictions system. Recovery Alberta’s goal is to ensure Albertans have access to a full continuum of services and supports spanning prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. By establishing Recovery Alberta, the government will be able to better coordinate spending initiatives, plan service delivery with greater efficiency and ensure effective oversight of funding to get the best results for Albertans. To support this work and ensure it has the best data and evidence available to make the right decisions, it will be creating the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CORE). CORE will provide leadership in recovery excellence by conducting research, evaluating programs and developing standards of practice for mental health and addictions care. CORE’s goal is to support the Alberta government in creating better policy and provide leadership across Canada and worldwide. She said this work should excite people. Smith concluded by saying drug addicts “come from all walks of life, and they deserve the support and treatment that works for them where and when they need it.” “The Alberta Recovery Model is leading the country, and we will continue to do so as we expand the system over the coming years,” she said. “With your support and partnership, I know we can achieve our vision of an Alberta where anyone suffering from the deadly disease of addiction can pursue recovery and a live a fully-engaged life.” The Alberta government confirmed on Tuesday it will be creating Recovery Alberta and CORE to support the mental health and addictions care system. READ MORE: UPDATED: Alberta government to establish new mental health, addictions agencies“Refocusing healthcare enables us to better prioritize the healthcare and services Albertans need,” said Smith. “Giving Albertans living with mental health or addiction challenges an opportunity to pursue recovery and live a contributing life is the responsible and compassionate thing to do.”
