Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What was touted as a band-aid approach upon closure of the only territorial addictions treatment centre in the NWT, our current Minister of Health and Social Services assured all Northerners the southern withdrawal management and treatment services would be temporary.
If we fast-forward to today, we see this temporary promise is now permanently enshrined in policy. Therefore, the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Government Operations from its work on Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Liquor Act, the government commissioned a report to look at the best options for withdrawal management in the NWT. This report was completed on March 31, 2014, shared with committee on August 27, 2014, and is on the department’s website.
For starters, we need to set the right definition in place. What is meant when we say withdrawal management? Simply put, withdrawal management, commonly known as detox, can involve either medical or non-medical intervention. Those with severe risk of withdrawal problems, such as shock or seizures, require medical supervision and this service is only available in Yellowknife and Inuvik hospitals. Those who are deemed non-medical risk for withdrawal services only have the option of a six-bed facility provided by the Salvation Army in Yellowknife.
Therefore, one could safely say that initial withdrawal management is extremely limited in the NWT and as of today there are still no follow-up residential treatment options for our residents on home soil. Sadly, in addition, the NWT does not support any home base, mobile or on-the-land withdrawal management services in its toolbox for addictions.
The good news is we do have options to improve and enhance our current Withdrawal Management System. Even when faced with geopolitical challenges, the question is: Do we have the vision for such investments? We need to understand how the future changes of withdrawal management will fit into the new, yet to be seen Mental Health Act, especially with respect to involuntary admissions.
Lacking still is our establishment of multiple points of entry for withdrawal management at regional and community levels where policy is quiet. As well, we cannot forget about all our first point of contact people, such as RCMP and child protection workers. These folks need ongoing training in such areas as withdrawal management, best practices, harm reduction and assessment tools.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Many of these recommendations are found in this report, a report that has been in the hands of the department for almost a year. Therefore, it’s time to ask our Minister to rip off his band-aid and allow the scab of our past to fully heal.
I’ll have questions later today for the Minister as to what he has been doing in addressing withdrawal management for the past year. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
