MPP Dave Smith Announces Investment to Build 12 Addiction Treatment Beds

Addiction treatment beds to address substance use challenges across Peterborough and the region.

Peterborough — Today, Dave Smith, Member of Provincial Parliament for Peterborough-Kawartha, was joined by the Hon. Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Jeff Leal, Mayor of the City of Peterborough, and Bonnie Clark, Warden of the County of Peterborough to make the announcement.

“Over the last five years as the MPP we have seen the need for help dealing with the opioid crisis in this
community. I have strongly said since being elected that we need to find pathways to treatment. This is another treatment option for us. Having the ability to have people from our community go to detox and complete their rehab here, close to home, is one more tool in the toolbox for them. Working towards sobriety is what we need to be doing and this is one of the options for people to use,” said MPP Dave Smith.

Four Counties Addiction Services Team (Fourcast) in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association-Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge (CMHA-HKPR), will receive $1,138,800 in funding through the Addiction Recovery Fund. The city of Peterborough and the county of Peterborough will each contribute $100,000 to support the program. This partnership between the provincial government, the county of Peterborough, and the city of Peterborough will invest $1,338,800 to establish the program.

“The announcement today is a testament to what can be accomplished by community partners coming together. Absent the unified efforts of the province, city, county, CMHA-HKPR, and Fourcast, today would not be possible,” said Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “Treatment and recovery are the key to solving the addiction crisis. This investment in a bed-based residential treatment and withdrawal management program will establish pathways to save countless lives and build up the continuum of care in Peterborough region.”

In 2022, 539 individuals attended the emergency department resulting from an overdose, emergency medical services responded to 357 overdose calls and 59 individuals lost their lives to overdoses in Peterborough.

“Like so many cities across the province, Peterborough is facing a mental health and addictions crisis,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “These services offered by Fourcast and the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Branch, generously funded by the Province of Ontario with contributions from the City and County, will go a long way to helping
people in need in our community. On behalf of Council, I want to thank the Government of Ontario, MPP Smith, and Minister Tibollo for their support,” said Mayor Jeff Leal.

The collaboration between local governments, community partners, and the province of Ontario will open 6 residential treatment beds, 6 residential withdrawal management beds, and 6 day treatment spaces for local populations made possible by redeploying existing services at Fourcast.

“In this community, the people affected by addiction are our neighbours, friends, and family. The specialized services offered at this treatment and detox centre will help them on the path to recovery. This laudable initiative supported by government and community organizations will benefit families across Peterborough County by bringing care closer to home,” said Warden Bonnie Clark.

The residential withdrawal management beds will provide medical supervision and services to patients seeking to detox off substances. Following this process, patients will flow to residential treatment beds for up to 35 days. This time-limited treatment will be provided in a structured, substance-free, in-house environment. The program will provide daily programming that supports participants to examine and work on issues related to their substance use. Treatment includes counselling or therapy, as well as psychosocial education and life-skills coaching.

The residential withdrawal management and residential treatment programs will offer a differential response for local clients by maximizing system transition options available through Fourcast’s community withdrawal management, community treatment, and housing programs.

Local clients awaiting admissions and discharging from the program transitions will be supported through
preferred access to Fourcast’s Early Access Service, providing intensive early addiction recovery daily supports following withdrawal. Additionally, the Fourcast community withdrawal management program’s connections with onsite staffing partnerships with RAAM clinics will provide a vital link for triaging referrals and discharges for ongoing addiction medicine program support to their home communities. Staff from the existing community withdrawal management team will be integrated with a redeployment to work from the residential program.

In 2021, the province invested $500,000 in annual funding to expand Fourcast’s community withdrawal
management program, which supported additional detox services, outreach workers, and primary medical care for those struggling with addictions. The bed-based residential treatment and withdrawal management program will include integrated pathways with the Consumption and Treatment Services site, Moving Beyond Addiction pilot program, and Mobile Wellness Clinics operating in downtown Peterborough and Haliburton, Peterborough, and Northumberland counties respectively.