The Alberta government is moving ahead with plans to boost mental health and addiction care by introducing two new organizations dedicated to providing care.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, MLA Dan Williams made the announcement Tuesday in Calgary. It follows the province’s decision in November 2023 to split Alberta Health Services into four areas: Acute care, continuing care, primary care and mental health and addictions.
Recovery Alberta will assume responsibility for the delivery of mental health services currently managed by Alberta Health Services.
In tandem with Recovery Alberta, the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE) is being established to support Alberta.
CoRE will include conducting research, data analysis, and offering evidence-based recommendations, all aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of mental health and addiction care.
“Alberta is leading the country with the development of the Alberta Recovery Model to address mental health and addiction challenges,” said Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction in a press release.
“The establishment of these two new organizations will support the delivery of recovery-oriented services to Albertans and will further cement Alberta as a leader in the field. We are proud to establish Recovery Alberta and CoRE as part of the Alberta Recovery Model.”
Recovery Alberta will operate under the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction and is expected to begin operations by summer 2024 with an annual budget of $1.13 billion.
The Alberta NDP was critical of Tuesday’s announcement, saying that it doesn’t address the underlying issues with mental health and addictions.
“Today’s announcement doesn’t stop the reality that drug poisoning deaths are climbing to record levels under Danielle Smith’s watch. The UCP is deeply underfunding mental health supports because they refuse expert advice about what tools and treatment methods can help save lives, which should be everyone’s number one priority,” said Janet Eremenko, Alberta NDP Critic for Mental Health and Addictions, in a prepared media statement.
“The UCP’s plan focuses exclusively on addictions and offers nothing to address permanent supportive housing, treatment wait times and wraparound services.
CoRE operations to begin later in 2024
To establish CoRE, $5 million from Alberta’s 2024 budget has been allocated. They will start operations this summer following legislation expected this spring.
The existing leadership team responsible for Addiction and Mental Health, as well as Correctional Health Services within AHS, will transition to form the leadership team of Recovery Alberta.
“Recovery Alberta will build on the strong foundation of existing mental health and addiction services that staff and clinicians deliver,” said Kerry Bales, chief executive officer of Recovery Alberta, in Tuesday’s press conference.
“By working closely with Alberta Mental Health and Addiction and the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence, Recovery Alberta will continue to set a high standard of care for mental health and addiction recovery across the province, and beyond.”
The terms of employment for AHS addiction and mental health staff moving to Recovery Alberta will remain unchanged. Grants or contracts for service providers currently working with AHS will not be altered upon the establishment of Recovery Alberta.
