The addictions treatment centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan is going to expand, less than a year after it opened.
The Government of Saskatchewan announced in its budget on April 6 that it would commit to building upon the success of the centre. In the 2021-22 budget, $850,000 will be allocated for 12 additional addictions treatment beds, as well as two new pre-treatment beds.
This addition will increase the total number of beds at the Estevan facility to 32 for treatment and six for pre-treatment.
“It will mean a small expansion to the present location,” said St. Joseph’s Hospital CEO Greg Hoffort. “It means the hiring of some new staff, and this is with the expectation to start filling the beds later on in this calendar year.”
It will likely mean the hiring of another five or six extra staff members.
There is a “significant” wait list to get into the facility, Hoffort said, so the additional 12 beds will be welcome.
Meetings will be taking place with Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions representatives on where they go from here, and whether the expansion will be on-site or if they start exploring off-site options.
“Twelve more beds is going to be 12 more people that we’re helping in the province deal with their addictions,” said St. Joseph’s Hospital board chair Don Kindopp. “The program here, right now, is in its infancy, it’s on its feet going very well, and it’s seen amazing results. With 12 more beds, it just means an additional benefit for people in the province.”
They believe this reflects the work that has happened at the addictions treatment centre since it opened last fall. The hospital made some pretty lofty commitments last year to have the centre back in Estevan for the first time since 1997.
“From approval to opening was a really short turnaround time, and I think that, in addition to putting a program in place that has started to yield some really positive results, all reflected in this decision,” said Hoffort.
“And not to mention it was completed by our staff through some amazingly difficult circumstances through what the pandemic presented, with our touch of COVID we had … that basically sent the (addictions treatment) staff home for two weeks.”
They developed a partnership with Cedars at Cobble Hill as well.
A lot of things had to be worked out in less than a year to get the addictions treatment centre to where it is now, and they’re confident that they’re at the point in which they can offer a strong program to people in the province.
The provincial government announced last March that an addictions treatment centre would be returning to St. Joe’s. A grand opening ceremony was held in September and the first patients arrived to receive treatment in October.
When it opened, there were 30 beds – 15 dedicated for the treatment of crystal methamphetamine addiction, five for treatment of other addictions, four for pre-treatment, such as detox, and six for post-treatment.
