People seeking addictions treatment need immediate access, says counsellor

A Saskatchewan addictions counsellor says people seeking treatment for their addictions need immediate access.

Some Saskatchewan patients seeking treatment are are told they have to wait days or weeks before they're taken in,, according to addictions counsellor Lauren MacDonald.

"Somebody phones me:'I'm in detox. I need to go to treatment.' OK, well February 22nd is the date I have for you," MacDonald, who is also the program director of Pine Lodge, said of the process.

" 'What?What am I supposed to do?'I don't have an answer for you because I don't know."

If people have to wait for treatment instead of receivingit immediately, then they're likely not going to come back when it's actually time to enter a treatment facility, she said.

"So, if an addict tells you they want help we need to strike while the iron is hot," MacDonald said. "We don't say 'Hey, you know what,just wait a minute, acouple days,' because they're gone."

Wait times for opioid treatment such as opioid substitution therapy range from zero to six weeks, depending on the region, according to a spokesperson from the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Wait times are zero in Moose Jaw, three days in Regina and six weeks in Saskatoon, but patients can access treatment soonerif needed, the spokesperson said.

"Patients with high needs are generally provided treatment through the OST program immediately, when clinically appropriate," the spokesperson said in an email.

There are also other options for people with addictions, such as take home naloxone kits andharm reduction programs.

MacDonald saidfentanyl is cheap, readily available and sometimes even found laced into drugs like marijuana. MacDonald calls it a crisis that is getting worse.

She is passionate about her work because addiction claimed the life of her brother, Taylor, who she said had multiple chances to seek treatment but never did.

"This kid,he had the world at his fingertips like every other addict out there."

MacDonald said there needs to be supports for people who are transitioning out of treatment and making the transition from a detox centre to a more in-depth treatment facility.

The Regina Detox Centre is one of Regina's treatment facilities and it gets 10 to 15 calls a day from people looking for a bed, mostly for alcohol treatment but crystal meth is not far behind.

According to the Ministry of Health, there are 74 physicians licensed to prescribe methadone for opioid dependence.

"The College of Physicians and Surgeons is working with its partners to recruit more physicians to prescribe opioid agonist therapy, with an emphasis on buprenorphine/naloxone prescribing due to its favourable side-effect and safety profile," the SHA said.

"Opioid agonist therapy is a term that encompasses both methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone, and can be thought of as a drug category or class."