Press Release
Funding Will Improve Access to Specialized Addictions Services and Supports
March 17, 2022
TIMMINS — The Ontario government is investing nearly $2.3 million through the new Addictions Recovery Fund to immediately enhance access to addictions treatment supports in Timmins. This funding will be provided to the Jubilee Centre and Timmins and District Hospital (TADH) to expand access to a total of 15 new addictions treatment beds, helping hundreds of Ontarians in Timmins and the surrounding region access specialized addictions treatment.
“Our government continues to make sizeable investments in Northern Ontario to ensure people and families have access to safe and effective mental health and addictions services, when and where they need them,” said Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “Investing in mental health and addictions services in Timmins is just one more way our government is strengthening our commitment to provide those in need with the high-quality mental health and addictions care that meet their unique needs on their journey to recovery.”
The Jubilee Centre offers treatment services for individuals living with substance abuse and concurrent disorders, including day treatment, continuing care, and safe bed programs. Funding through the new Addictions Recovery Fund will provide access to eight new addictions treatment beds.
TADH serves residents in the City of Timmins, Cochrane District as well as the surrounding areas of the Temiskaming, Sudbury and Algoma districts. Funding through the Addictions Recovery Fund will provide access to two new addictions treatment beds, two new supportive treatment beds, and three new withdrawal management beds. Ontario is also investing over $880,000 in base funding to provide seven additional withdrawal management beds at Timmins and District Hospital. This funding is being provided through the 2021 Ontario Health Request for Proposals process for new adult addictions beds.
Studies have shown that opioid-related deaths surged by 79 per cent during the first two waves of the pandemic, with rates being three times higher in Northern Ontario. To meet the demand for treatment, the new Addictions Recovery Fund will support almost 400 new addictions treatment beds across the province, helping to stabilize and provide care for approximately 7,000 clients per year. This includes clients in northern, rural and Indigenous communities. Addictions Recovery Fund investments in other addictions services and supports across the province include:
“Every year, more than one million people in Ontario experience a mental health or addictions challenge,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “That’s why our government is continuing to fulfill our commitment of making mental health and addictions a priority by investing in targeted addictions services.”
“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated issues for those living with mental health and addiction, placing additional strain on individuals and our health services,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs. “In response, our government is investing $2.3 million through the Addictions Recovery Fund right here in Timmins to meet this need. We must continue to ensure that at-risk populations, particularly youths and younger Indigenous people, receive the very highest levels of support and treatment in their communities.”
Quick Facts
Quotes
“It is rewarding to see the province act with an investment in our treatment infrastructure. Steps are now being taken that will work towards not only preventing death from opioid overdose, but in treating the root cause. The province’s commitment will give the Jubilee Centre and the Timmins and District Hospital much needed resources. Today is a good day for Timmins and I want to personally thank Minister Michael Tibollo for working with us to give those suffering from addiction more options and hopefully the best possible outcome.”
– George Pirie
Mayor, City of Timmins
“The investment in addiction services across the continuum remains an important part of our fight against the opioid crisis in our community. Ontario Health and the Ministry, the City of Timmins and the addiction service providers have responded collaboratively, working together to ensure increased supports are available for our community. We are extremely grateful for the funding received through the Addictions Recovery Fund to support two Residential Addictions Treatment beds, two Residential Supportive Treatment beds and three Withdrawal Management Service beds. This incredibly important funding will help improve access to services for those living with addiction and save lives.”
– Kate Fyfe
President and CEO, Timmins and District Hospital
“We need to continue to build a system in response to the urgency of the current opioid poisoning crisis in our community. We need to provide immediate medical care when people request it and we have to ensure we have the capacity to do so. We need to provide services along the full continuum of care (acute care, transitional care, residential care, day and evening programming etc.) for as long as people need them. We need to save lives and this investment by the province is another step in the right direction.”
– Dr. Louisa Marion-Bellemare
Physician-Addictions Co-lead, Timmins and District Hospital
“The arrival of the COVID-19 and Opioid pandemics revealed a mental health and addictions system struggling to meet the surge in demand for services and desperately in need of new funding. The infusion of this new funding will increase bed capacity and help decrease wait times for individuals in desperate need of bed-based mental health and addictions treatment. It will also decrease the mounting strain on hospital-based services and improve referral pathways between harm reduction, treatment, recovery and hospital-based addiction medicine. Most importantly, by improving both the quality and quantity of care at the organizational and systemic levels, people in need of services at the Jubilee Centre will have earlier access to a more robust and responsive mental health and addictions system with more options and overall improved client experience.”
– Harry Jones
Executive Director, Jubilee Centre
Additional Resources
Media Contacts
Alexandra Hilkene
Minister Elliott’s Office
alexandra.hilkene@ontario.ca
Anna Miller
Communications Division
media.moh@ontario.ca
416-314-6197
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