Former minister of justice Doug Schweitzer announces on Aug. 18 that Medicine Hat will have a drug treatment court later this year. It will not include additional addiction treatment spaces locally.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
The government says there will not be any additional drug addiction treatment spaces made available locally for those going through drug treatment court.
It is anticipated that 10 to 15 individuals will be going through the drug treatment court program in Medicine Hat at any given time, Doug Schweitzer, the now former minister of justice said a week ago when announcing the program.
“These 10 to 15 individuals would not necessarily be going through treatment at the same time, or attending residential treatment at all.,” said Kassandra Kitz, press secretary for the associate minister of mental health and addiction.
She says there are a range of therapies that they engage in.
“The purpose of drug treatment court is to support individuals and hold them accountable over a long period of time, often up to 1-2 years. ”
A drug treatment court will open in Medicine Hat later this year.
Someone struggling with an addiction who wants an opportunity to recover and get treatment is supposed to have a chance through the program to do so.
“In-patient treatment is a very small portion of their drug treatment court experience,” said Kitz.
The requirements to get into the drug court include admitting guilt, being a non-violent offender, being held accountable and regularly appearing before a judge to assess progress.
Andy McGrogan, chief Medicine Hat Police Service, says a fraction of the drug treatment court is about going through detoxification. The 10 or 15 people will also be in various stages of the program so they will not all need to detox at the same time.
McGrogan says holding the individuals accountable on a weekly basis is a big part of the success of the drug court plus the support available from peers.
Drew Barnes, MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat, says when the government made the decision to not open a supervised consumption site in Medicine Hat it also made a commitment to provide meaningful help for those who needed treatment.
Barnes says the recovery centre in Medicine Hat needs to look for efficiencies and there is also empty space in the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital that could be used to provide these services.
Michaela Glasgo, MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat, says enough treatment spaces is important and the Medicine Hat Recovery Centre could do with more to address the issues facing the community. She says she will be advocating for an expansion of local treatment options.
If there is not a treatment vacancy in Medicine Hat the individual may have to go to another location in the province.
“These detox and treatment beds that are available in Alberta are provincial assets, and therefore they can be accessed by anybody in the province,” said Kitz.
The UCP government has invested in about 4,000 additional treatment spaces across the province, including in Lethbridge, Foothills, the Blood Tribe First Nation, and in Calgary.
