Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP staff

By Shaun Penner

Three decades of service

Northern Addictions Centre marks 30th year of service in northwestern Alberta

Jun 19, 2021 | 7:00 AM

The Northern Addictions Centre in Grande Prairie has now been providing mental health and addictions support services in northwestern Alberta for 30 years.

North Zone Director of Addictions and Mental Health Carla McLean says one of the biggest successes she sees in the organization’s three decades has been its ability to establish a strong connection with other community support services.

“We have our detoxification program, residential addiction treatment, as well as our outpatient counselling, our outpatient mental health services and our opioid dependency programs,” said McLean. “It’s not common to have all of those services in one area.

With public health measures set to ease in Alberta, McLean is eager to see the capacity increase for the residential treatment program, a 21-day intensive treatment program for men and women to learn of the tools necessary to live free from alcohol and other drugs.

Recently, the province transitioned eight beds from the Business and Industry Clinic program to the residential program, creating 40 publicly-funded treatment beds.

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McLean adds as they look ahead to the next 30 years, it will be important to maintain and grow their connections with other support and service providers in the community.

“Just recognizing that our clients who are struggling with addiction and mental health concerns need a variety of supports,” said McLean. “Those community partnerships are key to that success.”

More details on the range of services the Northern Addictions Centre provides can be found on their website.