Premier gives directives to improve mental health and addictions services
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on August 3, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
Premier Danielle Smith has issued another letter to one of her ministers with requests to address issues in the province.
This time Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams is the focus of Smith’s directives.
On Wednesday in a letter to Williams, the premier outlined her expectation for implementing what the UCP calls “the Alberta Model” which it says is designed to support people pursuing recovery from addictions.
Smith wants Williams to provide an annual investment of at least $5 million with First Nations and Metis school communities in the province to “amplify the voice of youth and create opportunities for educators, Elders, parents, coaches and community members to develop their own strategies to enhance student wellness.”
She also wants the minister to implement recovery community centres for youth in major communities and build and get operating at least 11 new recovery communities.
Williams is also being tasked with developing at least five new mental health wellness centres housing 75 or more beds for short and long-term treatment and recovery.
The premier is also calling for the expansion of Counselling Alberta to provide same-day no wait-list, accessible and affordable counselling sessions.
Collaborating with the Ministers of Education and Children and Family Services, Williams is also expected to expand access to young people with severe mental illness with at least four new youth mental wellness centres which would provide inpatient mental health and addiction treatment.
The premier wants Williams, working in collaboration with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, to ensure police have the tools they need to support the wellness and recovery of residents.
The premier wants the government to invest at least $20 million per year to expand mental health classrooms to 60 from 20.
Williams was recently at the Blood Tribe for the ground-breaking of a 75-bed recovery centre which will be able to accommodate up to 300 people per year.
Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter
14-13
Great news! I would caution the government though. We can build these centers but they must be effective, staffed with properly trained personnel who follow effective treatment programs aimed at dealing with the ’cause’ of the addiction.
The most effective programs last 18-24 months, going from detox to treatment, relapse training, upgrading in education to job placement and using volunteers for those then working to report to and follow up on their progress or direct to counselling if wavering.
Just building the facilities is not enough, but I absolutely appreciate and support the plans and direction this government is taking.
BC has proven after 20 years of pushing harm reduction that it is a complete failure and has cost thousands of people their lives in the mad experiment. Now they find excuses of why it is failing and continue to come up with policies which only increase the fatal overdoses while destroying countless families and costing the Canadian taxpayer billions.
We need to return to what saved the most lives: Policing using a hard stance on drugs, but now using drug courts so no criminal records, enact the Compassionate Intervention Act, use effective mental health and addiction treatment programs and stop enabling addicts to continue in their addiction, watching them slowing destroy their bodies and brains to a point they walk like 90 year olds.
That is what will save the most lives!