Estevan's St. Joseph's Hospital home to 30 new addiction treatment beds

A new treatment centre for people recovering from drug addiction has opened in Saskatchewan's southeast.

A total of 30 beds are available at the new facility, located in St. Joseph's Hospital in Estevan.

Fifteen of the new beds are dedicated to people recovering from crystal meth addiction, while five spaces are available to people seeking treatment for other addictions. There are also four pre-treatment and six post-treatment beds available.

"Saskatchewan, like many provinces, has seen a dramatic increase in the use of crystal meth over the past few years," Lelia McClarty, an executive director with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said.

"We expect [the treatment centre] will reduce the wait time for inpatient treatment with individual treatment plans and longer stays as needed."

The centre will also develop medication protocols for crystal meth treatment that could be applied provincially.

Clients will be taken in from across Saskatchewan and will receive follow-up care in their home communities when the process is complete.

St. Joseph's Hospital and its umbrella organization, Emmanuel Care Group, are to work with Cedars at Cobble Hill, a B.C.-based treatment facility, to provide services at the new facility.

"It has been many years since St. Joseph's offered addiction services," St. Joseph's executive director Greg Hoffort said.

"Our partnership with Cedars at Cobble Hill allows us to open with evidenced-based, individualized programming that will have an immediate impact to the lives of many."

Money for the new facility was announced in the 2020-2021 budget, to the tune of $1.55 million up front and $1.95 million annualized to establish the treatment centre.