P.E.I. program for recovering addicts finds new home in junior high cafeteria

Weeks after patients were forced out ofP.E.I.'s addictions treatment facility part way through their transition program, some arenow completing it in a junior high school cafeteria.

Up until mid-March, the 21-day transition programofferedcounselling and group therapy sessions to 18 recovering addicts at a time, who all stayed at the treatment facility in Mount Herbert.

But as part of a plan to free up beds at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for COVID-19 patients, the province shut the program down and discharged clients.

"There was a bit of a domino effect, and the transition unit, being a voluntary program, ended up being at the end of that domino effect," said Matt MacLean, clinical supervisor at Mount Herbert. "So the question then became 'How are we able to provide this needed service to our clients moving forward?"

'It's better than having nothing'

MacLean said with students learning from home and schools vacant, the Education Department offered up the cafeteria at Charlottetown's Queen Charlotte Intermediate.

Recovering addicts like Tony Doyle, who told CBChe feared relapsing and felt like he'd been "thrown to the wolves" after being discharged from Mount Herbert, re-entered the program at Queen Charlotte two weeks ago.

"It's good enough for what's going on," said Doyle. "It's better than having nothing.... It definitely helps you get through the day."

According to MacLean, the programhad to adapt to its new location and to physical distancing guidelines.

For one, clients can't spend their nights at Queen Charlotte, as they did at the treatment facility.

The program wraps up each day mid-afternoon.

"It's definitely a lot different," said Doyle. "Being with a bunch of people that are doing the same thing [all] day helps a lot more. You canjust talk about past experiences and relate with one another."

Fewer clients, no role playing

The program's also been condensed from three weeks to two, and can only accept 10 clients at a time.

"That's based on Dr. Morrison's requirement for social distancing," said MacLean. "And there would've been situations where role plays were involved, and those things require people to be in close social contact.So those things are removed, and it's done on more of a classroom basis, without that close social interaction."

MacLean maintains while the setup isnot as ideal as at Mount Herbert,"the skill development, and the education is still there."

He says the program will likely continue to run out of Queen Charlotte for as long as the pandemic and public health restrictions remain in effect.

"We haven't had to use any of the beds at the QEH thankfully," he said. "But that doesn't change the fact that it's better to be prepared for these things. And that's where the understanding is with staff."

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