Higher numbers of patients staying longer to treat addiction, detox manager says
More patients identifying meth and fentanyl use as they seek treatment
Crystal meth and fentanyl are partially to blame for a crime spike in Regina within the past year and has resulted in higher amounts of people seeking treatment for substance abuse.
Kathy Willerth, director of mental and addictions within the province's health ministry, said crystal meth use is primarily responsible for the increase in people seeking treatment over the last two years.
Willerth said the numbers eb and flow, typically increasing for a time before going back down. The numbers have maintained, not decreased, "for a couple of years now," according to Willerth.
Those who are seeking treatment, whether it be counselling, to withdraw from use or just a bed to sleep in, are identifying crystal meth and fentanyl as their drug of choice.
The Regina-Qu'Appelle Health Region has seen an increased demand over the last year and a half for services, says Troy Neiszner, manager of the RQHR's detox centre.
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Stays and wait times
Treatment wait times vary throughout the province, as do the lengths of stay but it's all dependent on the patient's needs. More people are seeking treatment and they're staying longer too, Neiszner added.
"Typically, we can offer same-day service. There is, at times, a short wait list depending on the length of stay some of our folks are staying," Neiszner said.
The centre has 45 beds, 20 of which are designated for 24-hour use only. They're nearly always booked to capacity, Neiszner said, with any empty bed scheduled to have someone come in and use it.
Patients who have used meth typically require longer stays than the average six-day stay the centre sees now, Neiszner said. Patients, depending on their use, will be sick from withdrawal for seven to 10 days, with their stays typically lasting 14.
Neiszner added there is no hard and fast rule for stays, adding they're not hurrying people out the door once the six-day period has passed.
"We want to provide the right service to the patient at the time that they need it," Neiszner said.
What can be done
Neiszner said the focus is always on connecting a patient with the next step to recovery.
"If that's connecting them back to their community or to an elder or to an adult out-patient counsellor, then that's what we will do."
Willerth said there has been work with treatment centres and health regions to determine the impact being made and what supports can be offered.
The ministry can ensure there is proper access to research for front-line workers as one form of support, she said.
Reducing wait times is also something the ministry has worked on with regional health authorities.
"If people are in need of services today and call an RHA, they should get a very quick service to their first-response, which would talking to an addictions counsellor about meeting their needs," Willerth said, where the counsellor would work with the patient to come up with a treatment plan.
Treatment
Treatment for addictions is done on a voluntary basis, Willerth said.
An intake office for those seeking treatment is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. Calls are taken around the clock, however, and can be made to 306-766-6600.
Walk-in patients can also be seen anytime at 1640 Victoria Ave., where they will meet with an out-patient counsellor to set something up.
The two types of detox offered are brief detox and social detox. Brief detox is a 24-hour program. Social is a longer stay involving programming, group work and assessing root causes of use, typically six days.
"It's a longer period of time so they can start thinking about what's leading them into the lifestyle or addiction, where they're at," Neiszner said.
With files from Tory Gillis