June 8, 2010

WAIT TIMES SKYROCKET FOR ADDICTIONS TREATMENT

WAIT TIMES SKYROCKET FOR ADDICTIONS TREATMENT

Women seeking treatment hardest hit with 328-day wait: Rowat

Under the NDP government, people addicted to Oxycontin are dying while waiting for treatment and Manitobans seeking treatment for alcohol and drug addiction are facing staggering wait times, said Progressive Conservative Critic Leanne Rowat. 

“An adult female has to wait 28 days for an assessment and then another 100 days to get into a residential treatment program and 300 days to get into a day program,” said Rowat. “We’re also seeing dangerously long wait lists in Thompson, Brandon and Ste. Rose.”

A lack of treatment for drug and alcohol addicted Manitobans is not only placing these vulnerable people in dire situations, it’s also putting an incredible burden on the families, caregivers, and loved ones, she added.

 “They’ve cut funding for children with hearing impairments, autism therapy, addiction treatment, and adult education. They’re driving up our debt with reckless spending and fiscal mismanagement, but they’re simply unwilling to help those who actually need it,” Rowat said.

In one year, the wait for an adult female seeking treatment at the River House Day Program went from 14 days to 300 days. The wait for adult males and females in Thompson went from 31 to 77 days, and in Ste. Rose the wait went from 54 to 86 days for adult males and 61 to 86 days for an adult female.