NEW YOUTH DRUG SERVICES PROGRAM COMES TO SASKATCHEWAN

Youth in the Five Hills Health Region who have or are at risk of developing consequences related to substance use will benefit from a new outreach and intervention project. Open Connections is funded by Health Canada's Drug Treatment Funding Program.

Health Canada is providing $1.3 million over three-years to Five Hills Health Region, funded through Saskatchewan Health, to develop and provide outreach, early intervention and community linkages for youth age 12 to 24 years.

"The project will focus on building meaningful and trustworthy relationships with youth struggling with or at risk of substance use," Five Hills Health Region Mental Health and Addictions Services Executive Director Terry Hutchinson said. "We will work to engage the community in reaching at-risk youth, and getting them to a place that allows them to move toward a healthier future."

The project has an infrastructure and services component. The infrastructure component will use a community development approach to enhance community capacity for providing a continuum of treatment and recovery programs and services. The services component will provide outreach services and programs to engage youth. This will involve working with school and community partners to identify and contact youth, and offer extended hours outside traditional school and clinic settings.

"We are very happy to see this type of project come to Saskatchewan," Health Minister Don McMorris said. "This is a true example of how we are putting the needs of Saskatchewan youth first, and engaging our communities as we work together to provide and support a continuum of substance abuse treatment and recovery programs and services."

"This investment is a positive step toward increasing the number of drug treatment options available to young people who are at risk," said federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. "Under our government's National Anti-Drug Strategy we are working with provincial and territorial partners to improve access to quality services and effective approaches to treating individuals at risk to themselves, their families and their communities."

Health Canada's Drug Treatment Funding Program is a federal contributions program under the National Anti-Drug Strategy that provides new time-limited funding to provincial and territorial governments to support illicit drug treatment services for at risk youth.

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For more information, contact:

Karen Hill
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083

Craig Beesley
Five Hillls Health Region
Moose Jaw
Phone: 306-694-0300