Hospital submits $7.8M application to move more addiction services to Northway

While funding for a much-needed day treatment program at Sault Area Hospital is still awaiting a decision from the Ministry of Health, a local advocate for addiction services in the Sault says the lack of service availability in the city is having a harmful effect.

A formal funding application has been submitted by Sault Area Hospital to co-locate a number of its existing addictions treatment services into a currently vacant part of the Northway Wellness Centre, which opened recently in the former Sault Star building. 

It has also requested additional operational funding to allow for the return of the Concurrent Disorders Intensive Day Treatment program, which was paused by Sault Area Hospital (SAH) in June of 2022. The program offered low-barrier substance use and dependency treatment and was designed so people seeking treatment could avoid extended periods away from home or work.

At the time, it was operated within SAH’s global budget, but the hospital has made a standalone application for additional funding to allow it to operate permanently.

The return of the Day Treatment program is vitally important for people in the Sault who are seeking treatment, said Connie Raynor-Elliott, founder of SOYA, a street-level group that assists people living with addiction.

Raynor-Elliott advocated for the return of that program leading up to the 2022 municipal election and in turn Matthew Shoemaker began championing for its return as one of his campaign promises on his way to the mayor’s chair.

Sault Area Hospital says the cost to operate that program is $766,000 and made a funding application to the Ministry of Health earlier this year for that amount.

MPP Ross Romano recently told SooToday he continues to be in contact with ministry staff about the Day Treatment program application.

“I do have routine monthly communications with the Ministry of Health and most recently, as of a couple of days ago, my understanding is it’s moving through the process,” he said.

In addition to the Day Treatment program funding request, SAH has also made a formal application for the $7.8 million required to move many of its existing mental health and addictions services into the currently vacant 9,000 square-foot portion of the building that houses the Northway Wellness Centre on Old Garden River Road.

If approved, the current residential withdrawal management services housed at Northway would be joined by SAH’s Addiction Treatment Clinic, Psychiatric Medication Clinic and Rapid Access Addiction Medicine, or RAAM Clinic.

Raynor-Elliot told SooToday the time is right for those services to be put under one roof at the Northway Wellness Centre.

“They have the building and the staff, so get it done,” she said. 

Raynor-Elliott said there is often a waiting list when she has to bring people to the Northway for withdrawal management, with more people seeking treatment than there are services to support them.

“People are dying when they want help,” said Raynor-Elliott. “There was 32 people on the waiting list at Northway last week. We need more beds.”

In an email, SAH spokesperson Brandy Sharp Young confirmed there is sometimes people waiting on the Northway reservation list.

“Our reservation list can vary throughout the day. For example, on Friday morning, we had zero clients on our reservation list, with one client planning to come into care the same day,” said Sharp Young. “To date, our longest reservation list has been 35 - all these clients were offered beds within the same week.”

People on the reservation list can often be offered other services in the meantime, said Sharp Young, including the RAAM Clinic, Addictions Treatment Clinic, Crisis Services and In-Home Withdrawal Management.