Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was asking questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services about the treatment centres, and I would like to follow up with some additional questions here today. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please advise us in the past fiscal year how many adults and youth have we sent out for treatment and what were the associated costs with these programs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2016-2017, 212 adults were supported to attend facility-based addiction treatment, and we have an annual budget there of just slightly under $2.1 million. As I mentioned yesterday, youth attending at a service program typically have very complex needs. That may include emotional or behavioural issues, mental health concerns. It might be a serious medical diagnosis. It might be developmental delays and/or addictions. Youth attending these out-of-territory programs are supported through Child and Family Services, so we do not specify these individuals are going just for addictions. We have a program for youth who have any number of conditions, and we have a budget in that area or, rather a 2016-2017 expenditure, of about $7.9 million to support this, recognizing that is not just addictions. That is a wide range that we are supporting our youth for.
I thank the Minister for that information, and I appreciate with the youth it is very complex, so I appreciate that number. I will move forward here. The next question I have for the Minister, Mr. Speaker, is: what programs are available to residents before they head off for treatment for the addiction? What do we do to prepare these people as they are going out for their treatments?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, as a result of the mental health and addictions forum, we heard clearly that residents of the Northwest Territories want options and that facility-based treatment is just one option. There are a number of options available to residents that may help support them in their process, which may include preparing them for addictions treatment facilities, but it may not. They may be able to get resolution and the support they need without ever going to an addictions treatment facility. Some of the supports that we do have are: community counselling programs available in all regions of the Northwest Territories, in most communities; we have NWT help lines; we have on-the-land programs that are available through Indigenous governments throughout the Northwest Territories; there are a large number of NGOs providing really great services to our residents; there are 12-step programs available through peer support organizations throughout the Northwest Territories, supported by Alberta.
There are informal supports that our counsellors are always encouraging our residents to utilize as a program. That can include things like family and friends, community networks, and other activities. There is connection with, obviously, our primary healthcare providers. That includes doctors as well as community health nurses, nurses throughout our system. Then there are also social services that are available, as well. So, there are a wide variety of supports available to help people select their path, which may include addictions-based treatment in facilities.
I thank the Minister for that great answer. It does help us understand better as we move forward. I guess I should have phrased it "for all people" and not just going out for treatment to the facilities. I thank the Minister for the clarification. Mr. Speaker, what is the department doing to help residents who return home from treatment with their after-care? Because it seems to me, when we talk about that, what are we doing? That seems to be a big issue.
Mr. Speaker, in our process of referral to addictions-based treatment facilities, before our residents go there, we have them have a return appointment booked with the counsellor or the referring individual. We cannot make people attend, but that is one of the things that is supposed to happen.
Prior to release from any of the treatment facilities at the successful completion of their program, the facilities have been working with the residents, but also with counsellors in communities to help set up some after-care plans, and a lot of those do depend on things like peer support groups but, also, the counsellors we have in place and other groups like NGOs that I have previously mentioned that may be able to do it. Recovery support plans are individualized, so every one of them is going to be different based on the individual and what the individual is prepared to or not prepared to do.
We do know that there are peer support groups and how valuable -- we heard that during the tour -- how valuable peer support groups are. In that light, we do know that we have some challenges around peer support groups, especially in some of our smaller communities. After our trip, I did talk to the department. I asked the department to begin some research in how we can better support our peer support groups throughout the Northwest Territories. I know that the Yukon, as an example, has some really interesting programming to provide support to peer support groups. So, that work is being done, and I hope to have some discussions with committee on that and how we can better support peer support groups throughout the Northwest Territories.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that answer. I find it very important, especially with the after-care. I mean, that is when they are back here, in the territory, so I appreciate your answer on that. The other big thing that we find, though, is family and the support system that we have here for the people coming back, so my next question to the Minister, Mr. Speaker, is: what support programs are available for family members and spouses who have loved ones who are attending addiction programs outside the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, during the tour that I attended with the MLAs, of the different facilities, this is one of the topics that came up, and I think it is an important topic and we have to have some more conversation about this and the types of things that we might be able to do to support families of individuals who are struggling with addictions, because it clearly, without question, has an impact not only on the individuals, but on the families, as well. We do have some supports. Community counselling is available not just to individuals struggling with addictions, but to the families, as well. The NWT helpline is a support tool that is available to families.
Following up on our trip, I did follow up with the department, and the Insite Program, which is one of the programs that we talked about at Edgewood, is a six-day residential program for adults whose loved ones, basically, suffer from substance abuse disorders. We have, in the past, funded some of our residents to go down to that program. We are looking at that, whether or not maybe we should have conversations with the facilities we are contracting with about coming up or maybe additional supports for some of our families to go down. We are exploring that, but we have funded it in the past, and we will continue to do so. There is also Al-Anon, which is a peer support network for family and friends of alcoholics. That program is available in the North at any time, either pre-treatment or after treatment, or when families are just looking for support for themselves when their family member is not seeking help. I would encourage you and all residents who want to learn more about that program to visit the Al-Anon web site. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
