Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services in relation to treatment facilities down south. I'm not sure if the Minister would be allowed to answer this question, but I'm wondering what the cost is for an individual going to one of the four treatment centres, the average or anything that kind of gives me a feel for what the costs would be for us to treat one individual for a full program in the treatment centres down in Alberta and British Columbia? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I could get the Member some costs on the average cost for an individual who attends treatment. I don't have that information at my fingertips, but I can tell the Member that the cost that we pay to individual treatment facilities is different between the different facilities. We have contracted amounts. We pay a per-day rate that ranges anywhere from $160 per day to $450 a day, depending on the institution or the facility that an individual is attending. Those are contracted amounts based on the range and scope of programming that each of the facilities provide. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
One of the issues for long-term treatment where individuals may be taking various phases is that they're away from the NWT for long periods of time. I wonder if the Minister could tell me how individuals are covered insofar as medical or dental go while they're in treatment?
Residents of the Northwest Territories are Canadian citizens, so if they're travelling south to a treatment facility they are still able to get medical services in the jurisdiction of the province that they are receiving their services. We have reciprocal billing agreements with all the provinces and territories, so if our resident goes and receives health services there, we have a billing mechanism.
Not all residents of the Northwest Territories receive dental services from the Government of the Northwest Territories. We do have some extended health benefits for seniors and Metis that cover some range of dental services, and Indigenous residents are covered by NIHB for dental services. So the resident would have to utilize the dental services in the province that they're attending and they would have to seek billing through their insurance provider, and that could be your extended health benefits.
Individuals who go to treatment often are going because of obvious issues. Many of them have no employment at the time they leave to finally go down to get treatment. I'm wondering if the Minister could tell me if there are any additional supports available for individuals in treatment; and by additional supports I mean things like individuals who are trying to get off heavy drugs and alcohol who smoke but don't have cigarettes and have no support to purchase cigarettes, or don't have any money to buy toiletries, and so on. I was wondering if the Minister could tell me if there is any of that type of support available from our government?
The contracts that we have with the southern facilities basically cover treatment costs as well as we cover travel costs to get our residents to and from these facilities, and we also have per diem costs that cover things like the food they eat and provide with them a warm, safe place to sleep, but as far as incidentals, the ability or the cash to buy cigarettes or other things, we don't provide that support to residents who are travelling south. They would either have to have other means, family supports, or, if they are eligible for or are on income support, they have a mechanism to seek some money through that avenue. They would have to talk to their income support officer to see what they are eligible for, and it is different depending on which community they're coming from, the amount that they might be able to receive, but they could use that as an avenue.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know it's very uncomfortable to ask the government to buy someone cigarettes, but there are reasons for me asking. I wonder if the Minister could commit to, not cigarettes, but commit to allowing some allowance for individuals to get at least basic toiletries, toothpaste and things like that, for individuals who are completely indigent and have no supports left in the Northwest Territories that they could draw upon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the honourable Member took cigarettes off the list. When it comes to things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, this is certainly something that I'm willing to look at and see how we might be able to roll those in to ensure that residents who don't have access to those materials or those products can gain access while they're in the treatment facilities. So I'll certainly commit to looking at that, Mr. Speaker, but once again, not cigarettes.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
