Drug addiction | An important resource forced to reduce its services

Dozens of positions abolished, a number of beds reduced by a quarter: an essential resource for drug addicted Quebecers had to revise its offer downwards, due to lack of adequate funding, we have learned The Press.

Last week, the Portage organization, which has nine rehabilitation centers in the province, said goodbye to 25 employees, in addition to eliminating 19 vacant positions, which represents approximately 10% of its Quebec workforce. As beneficiaries leave, 53 beds will be withdrawn, or 24% of the capacity of the Quebec network.

At issue: the refusal of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) to increase an annual aid envelope of 16 million in force since 2018. This public support, which expired on March 31, 2023, represents 90% of the funding of the organization, compared to 10% for the Portage Foundation.

The problem? Since the negotiation of the agreement, inflation has jumped by more than 20%, while the amounts have been indexed by at most 1% per year. Portage management began negotiations with the MSSS in 2022, but it was only last February that it learned that the specific agreement signed in 2018 would not be improved.

“We asked for 4 million more annually,” explains Seychelle Harding, director of communications for Portage. “We could not maintain our current service offering based on parameters defined seven years ago. »

Never seen

The non-profit organization, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year,’s mission is to support drug addicts from Quebec, Ontario and the Atlantic in their fight against addiction and their social reintegration. . Some resources offer specialized services for adolescents, patients struggling with mental health disorders or even pregnant women and mothers of young children.

In half a century, “we have never seen a situation as critical as today”, notes M^me Harding, Portage spokesperson.

The cuts mainly affect the very first center inaugurated by Portage, near Lac Écho, in Prévost, in the Laurentians. The establishment already had an occupancy rate of 104%. “Right there, we lost 40 beds, 30 for adults and 10 for adolescents, out of the total of 53 [qui seront retirés dans le réseau]. It is enormous. […] We’re not kicking anyone out, but people who leave their program won’t be replaced. »

If there is already a waiting list for adults – 71 requests for 50 beds before the cuts – it will be the turn of teenage drug addicts to have to wait starting next week.

Elsewhere in Quebec, nine beds will be cut at the Therapy Center for Addiction and Mental Health, in Montreal, while the Mother-Child Center, also in the metropolis, and the Center for adolescents and young adults (14-21 years old) in Saint -Malachi will each remove two places.

“It’s going to cost a lot more not to fund us, because we’re going to end up with even more people in emergency rooms, in camps under bridges, etc. », laments Seychelle Harding, who still hopes that an agreement with the MSSS will help restore the situation.

“The role of an addiction treatment organization like Portage is very important, particularly as issues related to drugs and opioids become more complicated throughout Canada and America,” responded the spokesperson for the Minister responsible for Social Services. , Lionel Carmant, in a statement sent to The Press. “This is why the minister wanted to meet with the organization on multiple occasions in recent weeks, in order to try to find possible solutions to the issues raised. Pending the new agreement, the current agreement was renewed with its financing. »

“Options are currently on the table regarding the possibility of additional funding for Portage, options explored with the CIUSSS Centre-Sud,” continues press officer Lambert Drainville. “Everyone, including Portage, is working together to find a passageway quickly. »