Advisors Will Look At Addictions Service Gaps

Advisors Will Look At Addictions Service Gaps

Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:16

The chair of a group appointed to advise the province on its proposed addictions agency says he’s concerned about gaps in service for people with addiction issues.

Dr. Peter Butt is the director of Northern Medical Services, an agency at the University of Saskatchewan that employs many of northern Saskatchewan’s doctors.

Butt says the level of knowledge and resources that service providers in areas such as diabetes treatment and prevention have is lacking in the field of addictions.

He hopes the advisory group’s wide range of experience will help fix that.

“Unfortunately with addictions, and mental health broadly, there are a lot of gaps still. And we need to bring it ‘up to speed’, if you will, to be able to close some of the gaps. And the question is, what is the best way of doing this? And I think that is what the minister is really wanting to hear from the committee,” Butt says.

The advisory group will not only look at current programs in the province, but also at building closer ties with both First Nations and Metis addictions service providers in the province, and the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program.