ADDICTIONS STORY NEEDS NEW ENDING
Article by article, the story of this province’s need for addictions services has come together over 2019. Just in the past few days, the pages of the Leader-post and Starphoenix have carried pieces that outline the importance of this issue.
The family of Tyrone Nontell, who was convicted of killing 28-year-old Tyrell Bird in Prince Albert, says the crime may never have taken place if the perpetrator had been able to access the in-patient treatment he needed for a cocaine addiction. His sister, Shelly Laliberte, told Postmedia that Nontell wanted to get into treatment, but was able to access only outpatient assistance.
“He was completely willing to get help. He knew he needed help and he knew he couldn’t do it by himself. And I really do think all this could have been prevented by that,” she said.
Clearly, the number of people who are using drugs and may need treatment is challenging. This was illustrated as a study in the American Journal of Public Health reported Saskatchewan gives out more needles per capita than any other Canadian province. Based on research by Universite de Montreal, the article states seven needles for every resident of Saskatchewan, or 711 for every person who injected drugs in 2016, were distributed. This is more than three times the national average. In all, 5,276,496 needles and syringes were distributed that year to combat Saskatchewan’s crisis of blood-borne illnesses, particularly HIV and hepatitis C.
Intravenous drug use is considered the largest contributing factor to Saskatchewan’s dismal record on HIV transmission, and addressing addiction also would mean tackling this crisis. And many drug users need programs that tackle the root causes of their addictions — in addition to having access to clean needles.
In the midst of these reports, there are also signs of the difference that increased beds and funding can make to the lives of people fighting addiction. In June, six beds were added to the Calder Centre in Saskatoon, which offers fourweek in-patient care and outpatient addictions treatment. The wait time once hovered around 12 weeks; it’s now down to two weeks.
Around the province, families are waiting for access to treatment, hoping their loved ones can avoid the fate of Nontell. They want a different ending to their story.
There is proof that a well-considered, well-resourced plan can save lives. More stories like those out of the Calder Centre can build a new, more hopeful narrative.