Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health is pushing ahead with its plan to add 500 new addictions treatment spaces to the province.
On Wednesday, the ministry announced that a request for supplier qualification has been issued for around 250 more spaces, looking for service providers that are already qualified to provide treatment services.
Those services, the ministry explained, include “withdrawal management, including mobile/home-based services, inpatient addiction treatment, and transitional or recovery support.”
Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan’s minister for mental health and addictions, said the plan to add 500 more beds will nearly double the province’s treatment capacity. Currently, the Ministry of Health funds 553 addiction treatment spaces.
“Our goal is to get more people the help that they need to overcome addiction and live healthy lives in recovery,” McLeod said in a statement.
The province recently added 26 post-treatment spaces in Estevan, along with 18 intensive outpatient spaces in Saskatoon, 14 inpatient treatment spaces in North Battleford, and 36 virtual treatment spaces.
More announcements on new treatment spaces are expected in the weeks and months ahead, the ministry added.
The request for supplier qualification for the new spaces is set to close on Feb. 9.