{"id":413881,"date":"2026-01-16T20:45:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/413881\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T20:45:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:45:18","slug":"a-better-way-of-life-ochapowace-stabilization-centre-aims-to-fill-gap-between-detox-and-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/413881\/","title":{"rendered":"‘A better way of life\u2019: Ochapowace stabilization centre aims to fill gap between detox and treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

After a year of hurt and suffering, a group of people gathered this week on Ochapowace First Nation for a ribbon cutting to mark a fresh, hopeful start.<\/p>\n

It was a time of celebration for the community after a time of pain, Chief Shelley Bear said in an interview with CBC News.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve experienced some losses of individuals that were quite significant and really broke our nation,\u201d she said, noting many of those losses were due to drug overdoses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just weren’t getting the help they needed at home,\u201d Bear said. \u201cWe needed to bring them someplace else.\u201d<\/p>\n

People living in the community, located about 150 kilometres east of Regina, were all on the same page: they don\u2019t want any more friends or family members to die. So leaders decided to try a new approach to stop the cycle of addiction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A\u201cWe’ve experienced some losses of individuals that were quite significant and really broke our nation,\u201d Chief Shelley Bear told CBC News. (Will Draper\/CBC News)<\/p>\n

W\u012b ci hi, which means helping hands, is a stabilization centre for people who have completed detox and are waiting for a spot in a treatment centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It will offer around-the-clock care, and patients can stay for up to two weeks, with access to health care, therapy and spiritual care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they aren\u2019t ready to be back home or integrate into the nation, we bring them here,\u201d Bear said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She noted the building being used for the centre was formerly a group home for young children.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t need a group home for our young children if we helped our parents,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp our people so [they] can go back and have good, strong, healthy families, help them regain their two-spirit of who they are. And that\u2019s what this place was meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

WATCH | Ochapowace First Nation has opened a new facility to help people stay sober:\"\"<\/p>\n

Ochapowace First Nation has opened a new facility to help people stay sober<\/p>\n

The drug epidemic has hit many Saskatchewan communities hard. People living on Ochapowace First Nation say they\u2019re tired of watching friends and family members die. So they\u2019re trying something new to stop the cycle of addiction.Gap between detox and treatment<\/p>\n

Patricia Thomson, Ochapowace\u2019s health director, has worked closely with leaders to address the gap in the system between detox and treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said the process started with being able to clearly identify what stability looks like for patients during that period of time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[It’s] a place for them to come to be safe and build their confidence, their independence, their commitment to their sobriety, their commitment to a better way of life for 14 days,\u201d Thomson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that many people who go to treatment do not come out successful, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey go to treatment for 14 days, then they go back to the environment they came from.”<\/p>\n

With the new facility, \u201cThey come here, we get them ready for treatment,\u201d Thomson said.<\/p>\n

\"AIt\u2019s no surprise that so many people who go to treatment do not come out successful when there is a time gap between detox and treatment, said Patricia Thomson, Ochapowace\u2019s health director. (Will Draper\/CBC News)<\/p>\n

W\u012b ci hi will officially open to patients on Feb. 1, starting with four patients. It will then take a short break to allow leaders to make any necessary improvements or changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thomson said they expect the centre to be operating at full capacity by the spring, with 18 patients.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She noted that there will be a fee to stay at the centre, but leaders are still working out the details.<\/p>\n

Ochapowace is using its own money to fund the centre, with hopes that the government will\u00a0 eventually chip in to help.\u00a0The community also hopes to build a new treatment centre down the road, Bear said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had too much trauma and losses. We need to start today.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-413881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}