More than 7,000 people accessed Alberta’s Virtual Opioid Dependency Program in 2022-23 to receive addiction treatment medication to address withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.
The Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction says the province will continue to expand the program to help more Albertans get the help they need.
The program provides same-day access to medication through telehealth technology with addiction medicine physicians. Once clients are stabilized, they are transferred to the VODP’s ongoing care team, and eventually they can transition out of the program to receive care in other settings.
Any Albertan can access the VODP by calling 1-844-383-7688 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, seven days a week. There is no waitlist and no cost to start treatment.
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Turning Point executive director Reed Charbonneau said the program is a great way for clients to quickly access opioid agonist treatment, an evidence-based intervention for recovery from opioid use disorder that is also protective against poisonings.
“(VODP) does require phone access, which is a barrier for some. When local people want to access VODP but don’t have a phone, we address that barrier by supporting them with their calls,” said Charbonneau in a statement.
He said Red Deer’s in-person opioid dependency program can be better for some clients. It’s easy to access with wrap-around supports, has a more personal touch and can support someone longer term. But VODP can be especially helpful to rural residents.
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When the program was introduced in April 2017, under the Alberta NDP, it was a pilot project serving smaller communities in Central Alberta to make treatment more accessible to rural residents. Two years later, prior to the election of the UCP, the program was expanded to the rest of Alberta.
“I am pleased that some people have accessed the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program in Red Deer and elsewhere but am always skeptical of UCP-provided data that doesn’t tell the whole story,” said Janet Eremenko, Alberta NDP Critic for Mental Health and Addictions, in a statement.
The UCP should provide all data, including the outcomes from those who accessed the program, so we can assess success and shortcomings and make the best decisions from there, she said.
“We have seen the UCP government repeatedly refuse to adequately fund programs and access to life-saving medication that can help people manage their addiction while they access social supports and long-term treatment. The government is in denial of the evidence that harm reduction works, and people continue to die as a result.
“We are losing six Albertans every day to the opioid crisis and toxic drug poisonings. Clearly, the UCP’s approach is not working, in Red Deer and throughout Alberta,” Eremenko said.
In July 2022, the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program was made available to people arrested by police to provide immediate access to addiction treatment. The program is available through more than 35 RCMP detachments across Alberta, including through police services in Red Deer.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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