NDP crying foul as Willowview Recovery Centre still not open

The Willowview Recovery Centre near Lumsden was originally supposed to open in spring of this year, but it still wasn’t fully open as of the end of November.

It was supposed to be the largest addictions treatment centre in the province, with 60 inpatient treatment beds. However, the Sask. NDP has explained there are currently no inpatient beds operating at the facility.

NDP mental health critic Betty Nippi-Albright also criticized the government for including the facility’s 60 beds on a list touting its work on the addictions and mental health file.

“They’ve been saying to the public that this facility is open for inpatient treatment, they’ve been saying that to the public, and we find out there … is no individual receiving inpatient treatment. What does that say to the public about the government?” asked Nippi-Albright.

Read more:

• ‘We need to help them find a path’: Gov’t to move to recovery-based addictions system
• Funding for safe consumption sites again not included in Sask. budget
• Twelve new post-treatment beds opening at Estevan recovery centre

The provincial government announced an action plan last year, which included a commitment to open 500 new addictions treatment spacesin the province  in five years.

This week, a government release about addictions awareness week promoted the work done on this commitment, counting 215 spaces opened and offering services, and including the 60 at Willowview in that number.

Nippi-Albright said this is happening as many people in the province are suffering and wanting to get treatment.

“And there’s a building that the taxpayers are paying for but yet it’s not being occupied by the people who need it the most,” she said.

The NDP claimed it was told by someone who works at the facility that the wait list is more than a year long, and that people looking for care in Saskatchewan should look to Toronto instead.

Nippi-Albright said there are people dying in the province while waiting for treatment.

“People that are waiting to get into treatment, when they are ready we need to have beds available for them, and that’s not the case, that hasn’t been the case,” she said.

While the 60 promised inpatient treatment beds aren’t open, the provincial government said there are 30 spots for virtual outpatient care being operated out of the centre, similar to the 36 virtual treatment spaces EHN Canada was already offering in Saskatchewan. Sixty spaces at the facility are available for day treatment — which includes things like cognitive behavioural therapy and family and cultural supports.

According to Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr, the full opening of the facility was delayed because of deficiencies in the sprinkler system.

“We’re working very closely with the RM and with the inspectors, all of those are being addressed so that we can put people in that building safely,” explained Carr.

EHN Canada wouldn’t answer questions about the facility, referring an inquiry to the Ministry of Health.

In the meantime, the provincial government is paying the bills on the facility for those services that are being offered, according to Carr.

“This is actually a good news story, the fact that we are actively working on getting care for people that need it, when they need it. The small delay is unfortunate, but they will be open,” she said.

The facility is being run by EHN Canada, which states on its website that 60 inpatient beds are currently available at Willowview.

The treatment is being paid for by the provincial government, but privately provided — that is how the government has added to the complement of treatment beds in the province in the last couple years. Carr said the problems with opening the facility don’t raise concerns about using private providers.

Read more:

• ‘We need to help them find a path’: Gov’t to move to recovery-based addictions system
• Funding for safe consumption sites again not included in Sask. budget
• Twelve new post-treatment beds opening at Estevan recovery centre