Blood Tribe detox facility sees positive impact; is frequently over capacity

STAND OFF, Alta. -

Bringing the Spirit Home Detox Centre opened its doors in January 2019.

Having this type of resource so close to home is having a positive impact in Stand Off, Alta., and neighbouring communities.

"It's more available to them than going to, say, Fort MacLeod or Lethbridge, or to some other community where it might take them longer to get into," said Amanda Fox, client case co-ordinator.

"The waiting list isn't too long."

The facility has seen plenty of use already, with 500 people using the facility to get clean in the first five years of operation.

High demand means the 24-bed facility is frequently over capacity.

"Because of the need, we're constantly over capacity. We average I think around 30 to 40 clients a day in detox, give or take, (depending) on the day," said Kash Shade, Blood Tribe Department of Health COO.

"I think in the peak of the opioid crisis, we were seeing numbers of almost 48 within the facility."

Bringing the Spirit Home has seen its usage gradually increase since its opening.

New substances have made the detox process more difficult.

"It is more of a challenge. But we work more closely with other emergency services to make sure that people are safe if they're brought here," Fox said.

The detox centre isn't meant for long-term use.

Clients can typically only stay for 10 days unless they're on a waitlist for long-term treatment.

But the Blood Tribe Department of Health is planning to open a pre-treatment facility.

"We're hoping within the next month for it to be operational for people who have safely detoxed but are needing a little bit more time to get into a long-term residential program," Shade said.

A 75-bed recovery community funded by the province is also coming to the reserve.

Construction is already underway and is expected to be finished in the next 12 to 18 months.