The imminent closure of the Hamford Pavilion in Lachute, in the Laurentians, has feared the worst for other private addiction treatment centers, which for several years have been demanding an adjustment in their funding to ensure their survival.

Validation by the Laurentians’ Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) that the Hamford Pavilion’s Certificate of Conformity was revoked on February 20. Everything goes into effect on February 24th; the 23 residents who are undergoing therapy there have to be transferred to other treatment centers.

“Maintaining the Hamford Pavilion’s certification requirements has been a recurring problem for a number of years for a variety of reasons,” said Julie Lacasse, communications advisor to the CISSS, in an email.

These issues concern, among other things, the cleanliness of the premises, which would be “poorly heated and prone to mould”, the quality of care and services, “including serious deviations in the application of the pharmaceutical protocol” and governance issues, the nature of which has not been specified.

In September 2020, the Hamford Pavilion lost its Certificate of Compliance for the first time, primarily due to issues related to resident safety, ethical violations and a recurring bed bug issue. The prison management had tried before the administrative court to obtain a postponement. The utmost agreement had been reached to avoid the closure of the facility, but this needed to be a push to meet the standards set by CISSS.

The Canadian Press’s request for an interview with the coordinator of the Hamford Pavilion has remained dead letter.

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The closure of the Hamford Pavilion is the latest in what the addiction treatment community considers “carnage”.

In October 2021, Maison l’Exode in Montreal was forced to close one of its pavilions indefinitely. In May of the same year, the Maison Face à l’avenir in l’Assomption closed its doors for lack of a new location for its activities. The Maison Jean Lepage in Trois-Rivières has also closed its accommodation business.

In July 2019, the L’Appel center in Lévis also closed its doors for financial reasons.

In 2016, the announced closure of the Center Mélanic in Saint-André-d’Argenteuil caused a lot of ink in the Laurentians. Last-minute funding and the support of Major Robert Piché had saved the establishment, which, however, ceased activities for good the following year. The insufficient utilization had sealed the public funding to which the center was entitled. It was the Hamford Pavilion that had welcomed its occupants back then.

Another addiction treatment center, L’Inter-Mission, in Saint-Hyacinthe in Montérégie, will close its doors at the end of March, management has confirmed.

“Other centers are in a very precarious situation,” says Vincent Marcoux, executive director of the Quebec Association of Addiction Intervention Centers (AQCID). When we speak of closure, it is either due to lack of funds or the inability of organizations to maintain their certification due to lack of funds. It’s the chicken or the egg. »

The number of beds needed to meet detoxification needs is 2,600 in Quebec, of which 2,400 are managed by private organizations, adds Mr. Marcoux. However, as the residents of the closing centers are relocated to other facilities, the decline in the number of beds in many centers that are still in operation is leading to waiting lists that can currently be up to two months.

“But if you want to go to therapy, it is immediately, Nuance Nicolas Bédard, Chairman of the Board of the Center L’Envolée in Shefford, in Montérégie. You can’t wait that long. »

complained about underfunding

These closures are mainly caused by a recurring lack of funding to allow facilities to meet growing demand. As a result, private centers have difficulty attracting and retaining qualified personnel and maintaining the standards that allow them to maintain their certificate of compliance.

“We cannot follow the salaries of the health network,” says Nicolas Bédard. [Le public] hires people to leave CEGEP for $30 an hour. We can’t follow. »

“It’s difficult to follow and compete with publicly offered salaries,” agrees Danica Bourque, vice president of the Coalition of Community Addiction Organizations (COCD). What happens is that we hire students, we train them and then they go to the CISSSs because they get better conditions there. »

The pandemic, the opioid crisis, homelessness and mental health issues have increased demand. However, workers are reduced to refusing admission.

“It’s scary,” says Ms. Bourque. It’s the same story all the time, we can’t get enough money to meet the need. »

Ms Bourque, also director of the Centers Beauséjour, says government funding was renewed more than a year ago and runs until 2024, but contracts are still pending in some centres. “We don’t know how the money will be distributed,” she complains.

In 2021, AQCID estimated the recurring government support needed to ensure the quality and maintenance of addiction treatment services at $25 million per year. “Funding has been renewed for years, but there has been no revision of the financial framework, which is currently insufficient,” explains Vincent Marcoux. We are always given small injections that allow the body to breathe a little, but not enough to be functional. »

For example, she states that treatment centers receive a daily amount per inhabitant. Therefore, farms must be constantly full in order to receive financial support. In addition, it is granted to people on social security, notes Mr Marcoux. At the same time, workers and the unemployed have to pay for their therapy, leading to inequalities in access to care.

Meeting with Minister Carmant requested

Private addiction treatment organizations have been demanding a meeting with the minister responsible for their files, Lionel Carmant, for several months. They hope Quebec will be there and listening this time.

“We need to be heard,” Ms. Bourque continues. We don’t know at all what our funding will be like next year, but it needs to be improved because the situation for certain centers is becoming very difficult.

” Often, [le ministère] does it at the last minute and tells us he didn’t have enough time to review our funding, adds the director. As an exception, we would like to do it in advance. »

The Office of Social Affairs Secretary Lionel Carmant did not respond to requests for interviews from The Canadian Press.

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This story was produced with financial support for the news from the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press.

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