EDMONTON – To mark National Addiction Awareness Week, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) calls on the provincial Government to address the overwhelming unmet need for addiction care with a more robust, publicly delivered health care response. HSAA members are the health-care professionals providing addiction care throughout the province in our public health-care system.
“This government will talk endlessly about its focus on recovery, but the results are lacking.” Said Mike Parker, President of HSAA. “Too many Albertans die before accessing the care they are seeking every year. With only three recovery communities operational and their highly questionable data on overdose deaths barely showing progress, any celebration of achievement is not just premature but entirely inappropriate.”
Paramedics, addiction counsellors and other health-care professionals have been sounding the alarm on unconscionably high rates of people dying from toxic drugs and a lack of available care options, for years. Monthly trends and even yearend numbers of overdose deaths do not show the true impact to Albertans. Deaths that are clearly due to drug poisoning are counted immediately, while those confirmed by a medical examiner are added later, often six months to a year after the government releases its data.
To date, the government has opened only three recovery communities with a total of 200 spaces available and little long-term support available afterwards.
“The Governments recover communities are a privately delivered, one size fits all treatment approach. Addiction care is health care, and it should be publicly delivered by trained health care professionals in a manner that meets the unique recovery needs of each patient. Unfortunately, this kind of addiction care is not available to every Albertans who needs it, and the government is not acting with the urgency needed.” continued Parker.
HSAA is advocating for the full spectrum of harm reduction services and therapeutic treatments to be delivered through Alberta’s public health-care system, which has the capability to provide comprehensive, evidence-based care. Only by ensuring addiction care is administered or overseen by trained healthcare professionals can Alberta effectively provide the support individuals need to recover.
“The best way to ensure treatment is available to everyone who needs it is through the public health care system.” said Parker. “The time for action is now, and we urge the Alberta government to listen and act.”
HSAA is asking Albertans to send the Premier a message that it’s time to listen to health-care professionals and recognize that addiction care is health care through hsaa.ca/act4addictions
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Media Inquiries:
Myles Curry, Manager, Communications
587-991-9445 | MylesC@hsaa.ca
