Another piece of the puzzle to solving the ongoing opioid crisis is falling into place with a joint proposal from Four Counties Addiction Services Team (Fourcast) and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR) to operate a new 12-bed residential detox and residential addiction treatment facility for substance users in the greater Kawarthas region.
The proposal was announced on Monday (February 13) at Showplace Performance Centre by Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, who was joined by community health experts including Fourcast executive director Donna Rogers, CMHA HKPR executive director Mark Graham, Peterborough Medical Officer of Health Dr. Thomas Piggott, and Peterborough Regional Health Centre chief medical executive Dr. Lynn Mikula, along with Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal, Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark, Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts, and Peterborough County-City Paramedics chief Randy Mellow.
Fourcast and CMHA HKPR are seeking $1.138 million in funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health to operate a facility at a yet-to-be-determined location with six detox beds and six treatment beds, on a pilot basis to demonstrate the effectiveness of the service model. The facility would primarily serve substance users in the city and county of Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, the counties of Northumberland and Haliburton, and Curve Lakes, Hiawatha, and Alderville First Nations.
According to MPP Smith, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo reached out to Smith four weeks ago to advise him another community that had been approved for funding for a residential detox and treatment facility was unable to secure capital funding for their facility, and that the provincial funding would be available “if Peterborough could get a proposal together.”
“In an extremely short period of time, CMHA and Fourcast came together collaboratively to put together a proposal for six residential detox beds and six residential treatment beds, as a first start for this community for residential detox and treatment,” Smith said. “We’ve heard loud and clear this is something our community needs.”
Smith pointed out the provincial funding is not alone sufficient to fund the proposal. Another $300,000 would be needed to cover start-up costs, and partner agencies would need to raise the additional funding to demonstrate to the provincial government the community supports the proposed facility.
Fourcast executive director Donna Rogers said the addition of withdrawal management and adult residential treatment to Fourcast’s existing continuum of services would provide more supportive opportunities for those in our community who want to make changes to their substance use.
“People who struggle with substance abuse and addictions need many options to navigate their recovery journey,” Rogers said. “A collaborative partnership with CMHA has enabled us to submit a strong proposal for funding to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that we hope is met with a favourable outcome.”
While Fourcast and the community partners have operated a Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site at 220 Simcoe Street in downtown Peterborough since last June, that facility does not offer detox or addiction treatment services. It provides a safe and clean space for people to consume pre-obtained drugs, under the supervision of health professionals, and provides substance users with sterile consumption supplies, education on safer consumption practices, basic medical services, and referrals to drug treatment, housing, and other social services.
CMHA HKPR executive director Mark Graham said there is a significant need for residential detox and addiction treatment services, which currently do not exist in the greater Kawarthas region. The closet services are in the Oshawa area.
“We don’t have a specific site at this juncture to house 12 beds,” Graham said. “But if we get the funds, we look forward to seeking out the space for these 12 beds.”
According to data from Peterborough Public Health, 59 people died from drug poisoning in 2022 within Peterborough — an average of one person every week. In addition, 539 people visited the emergency department at Peterborough Regional Health Centre for drug poisoning and emergency medical services responded to 357 9-1-1 calls for opioid poisonings. In January 2023 alone, 10 people died from suspected drug poisonings — the deadliest month on record, according to Peterborough’s medical officer of health.
“Along with prevention, community well-being, and harm reduction, treatment is an important part of the urgent response needed to the crisis we are in here in Peterborough,” Dr. Piggott said. “Peterborough Public Health welcomes this proposal for more local treatment and detox services, and the opportunity it creates to strengthen our response to the drug poisoning crisis. Along with the Peterborough Drug Strategy partners we have been advocating for more tools to address the crisis for over a decade. If funded this will become a critical part of the local response.”
Peterborough Regional Health Centre chief medical executive Dr. Lynn Mikula, Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts, Peterborough County-City Paramedics chief Randy Mellow, Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark, and Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal also spoke in support of the proposal.
“To make it very clear, this is not the finish line — we are just at the starter’s gate,” MPP Smith said. “We still have a long way to go. There are still a number of things our community needs to be more successful with this, but this is one step in the right direction, and we need to take this step now. I’m so grateful for all the hard work that has been done by everyone in the partnership on this.”
