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The Henwood Treatment Centre in northeast Edmonton, a province-run addiction and mental health facility, will be reopened and resume operations once flood damage repairs are complete, Recovery Alberta announced in a news release issued Friday.
There had been uncertainty about the centre’s future after flooding in June forced it to suspend its services and close its doors.
“Recovery Alberta has assessed the damage to date and reviewed current and future service needs,” the provincial agency said. “That work has informed the decision to resume voluntary bed-based addiction treatment services at the site.
“There is still significant work ahead. Preliminary estimates indicate the required remediation, renovations and improvements could take an estimated one to two years to complete and cost approximately $6 million.”
Recovery Alberta also noted that when flood damage forced it to suspend operations at Henwood, it reached out to 104 patients who were awaiting admission to the centre to organize alternative treatment options.
Staff members who CBC News recently spoke with said they reached out to a much larger number of people to inform them of the temporary closure.
Unions representing staff at the centre recently told CBC News some members have received layoff notices in the wake of the facility’s temporary closure.
Recovery Alberta said it will be addressing staffing impacts that have resulted from the flooding and closure of the centre. Employees of Henwood are members of various unions, including the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and the United Nurses of Alberta.
CBC News has reached out to the unions for comment on Recovery Alberta’s announcement.
HSAA president Leanne Alfaro issued a statement that said the union is pleased to hear the announcement but still has questions.
“We welcome Recovery Alberta’s commitment to restore addiction treatment services at Henwood,” she said. “A potential one- to two-year reopening timeline is a significant concern for our members and Albertans who need access to care.
“HSAA will continue working with Recovery Alberta throughout this process to support our members and ensure their expertise remains part of delivering addiction treatment now and when Henwood reopens.”
The Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction provided a statement to CBC News in response to the announcement that the treatment centre will reopen.
“Alberta’s government is committed to expanding access to addiction treatment across the province,” the statement reads in part.
“We recognize the importance of increasing access to residential addiction treatment for people in Edmonton, and are continuing to invest in just that.”