An Edmonton addiction treatment centre has closed for the 'foreseeable future'
A provincially run addiction treatment centre in Edmonton has closed “for the foreseeable future” after sustaining significant flood damage in June.
The Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction confirmed the extended closure of the Henwood Treatment Centre in a statement to Daily Hive, saying clients have been moved to addiction treatment and recovery services offered by local providers.
“We continue to investigate the extent of the damage at the Henwood Treatment Centre and are working closely with Recovery Alberta to determine the future of the facility,” the ministry said.
“The safety and well-being of patients, staff and the community will continue to guide decisions.”
Located in northeast Edmonton, Henwood has 62 treatment beds, making it the largest provincially run addiction treatment centre in the region.
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However, according to reports from the Investigative Journalism Foundation, staff were told on Aug. 20 that Recovery Alberta was permanently closing the treatment program.
Nearly 600 people were reportedly dropped from a waitlist for treatment when Henwood stopped accepting applications in June.
The ministry did not confirm to us whether the treatment centre was permanently closing, only saying that its future was still being determined.
The Province also did not say whether Henwood’s beds would be replaced, but pointed to a previously announced $30-million investment to add more than 400 new treatment, housing and stabilization beds in the Edmonton area.
Twenty-five new long-term addiction treatment beds recently opened at the Lakeview Recovery Community, 75 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, while 75 more beds are expected to come online later this year, the Province told us.