Hospital funding temporary continuation of day treatment program

Without stable provincial funding in place, Sault Area Hospital has committed to funding its successful day treatment program within its own budget for the near future.

"Given our community's evident need for the program, we decided to continue offering the Concurrent Disorders Day Treatment program beyond March 31, 2024," said Brandy Sharp Young, director of communications for Sault Area Hospital (SAH).

The program, called A New Day, was operated as a pilot project between November 2020 until August 2022. It was designed so patients seeking treatment could avoid extended periods of time away from home or work by providing a structured, scheduled program of activities five days or evenings per week at home or in another setting.

It currently runs from the Northway Wellness Centre on Old Garden River Road.

The program was paused in August of 2022 due to resource restrictions. When running for municipal office at the time, Matthew Shoemaker promised as mayor he would advocate to the provincial government for funding for the program. 

With one-time provincial funding provided, the program was relaunched in January 2023 and continued to March 2023. SAH received similar funding this year, allowing it to run between January to March of 2024.

Now, with no current provincial funding in place, SAH has promised to continue the program for its fiscal 2024-25 year at a cost of $750,000 a year, an announcement it made Thursday in a news release and through social media.

"We continue to advocate to secure base funding for this service, recognizing its critical role in supporting individuals with concurrent disorders within our community," said Sharp Young.

On Thursday, Mayor Shoemaker said it was great news and lauded the decision to keep the doors open for the treatment program.

"The Concurrent Disorders Day Treatment program is making a difference in the lives of community members with 80 per cent of attendees successfully completing a recent session," said Shoemaker. "Sault Area Hospital deserves credit for ensuring continued operation moving forward and I’m hopeful a long-term solution will be forthcoming."