Addiction treatment centre with focus on cultural healing opens in North Battleford, Sask.

A treatment centre that helps Indigenous people combat addiction in Alberta is now accepting patients in anew Saskatchewan location.

The BattlefordsTreatment Centre, whichofficially opens Sept.3 in North Battleford, Sask.,will provide 14 withdrawal management and inpatient addictions treatment spaces to Saskatchewan residents.

"We've always been interested in expanding our reach to as many communities as possible," said Brad Cardinal,executive director of Poundmaker's Lodge Treatment Centres, which will operate the facility.

A media release from the provincial government said the new treatment centre is part of a plan to provide 500 new treatment spaces for Saskatchewan residents by 2027-28.

Vicki Mowat, SaskatchewanNDP critic for mental health and addictions,said she was glad to see bed space opening, but said it shouldn't have taken an election for the government to act.

Cardinal said the centre is accepting applications for its 42-day treatment program, but already has a waitlistwhich shows the need for a treatment centre in this area.

He said as an organization the centre is committed to finding support for anyone who applies for our centre and can't get in right away.

He saidapplicants will need a completed medical, and referral support. He said patients"work on trauma and core issues that have propelled their addiction to this point."The first part of the programincludes a withdrawal management phase of about five to seven days, and the next part hasa large culturalcomponent.

"It's such a huge, huge part of a person's recovery," he said.

"When an individual is still actively drinking, actively using substances, they become spiritually bankrupt and they lose their connection with their higher power."

He said people go through spiritual confusion and cultural confusion.

"It's very, very important that we create that because it helps [Indigenous patients] get grounded and it's almost like coming home again."

Cardinal said people come into addiction for different reasons such as residential school trauma, unhealthy relationships, unresolved grief, physical violence, discrimination, or low self esteem.

Cardinal said they work with many elders to help them.

"Whether you're Sioux, Blackfoot, Dene, Cree, Mtis, we have elders that we work with and we bring those elders into our centres to ensure good transferring of cultural knowledge."