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Alberta Health Minister, Sarah Hoffman, on an archive photo in Postmedia format.
John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS
The province is preparing to regulate drug treatment facilities and establish a college to oversee professionals who call themselves counselors and therapists.
Legislation tabled Tuesday aims to ensure safe and competent care for Albertans looking for a therapist or addiction treatment center, said Health Minister Sarah Hoffman.
At the present time, there are no minimum standards for treatment centers, which has resulted in about 35 complaints since 2012, depending on the province. The complaints ranged from the impossibility of collecting a refund to the poor quality of care.
The changes will apply to mental health facilities that address issues such as alcoholism, substance abuse and eating disorders. Programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous will not be affected.
Fatality inquiry
A 17-year-old boy died in 2007 in a drug treatment center after drinking antifreeze. Taylor Silver had ingested what a doctor had estimated to be three times the lethal dose of ethylene glycol while enrolling in a program.
Three years later, a public fatality survey revealed the staff were under-qualified to deal with serious incidents. According to the survey report, staff members had to have completed a 12-step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, and take first aid training.
The judge also said that the province should set minimum standards for treatment facilities and regulate licenses.
The Central Alberta Recovery Center, located approximately 50 kilometers northeast of Red Deer, was subsequently renamed Serenity Ranch. It's now called iRecover Alberta.
Penalties up to $ 100,000 per day
The province reported that 65% of the province's clinical facilities were privately owned and some 5,000 non-regulated practitioners provided services. The new rules would initially apply to approximately 60 private and public residential drug treatment facilities.
If adopted, facilities will be able to apply for a four-year license on July 1 and must have one by November 1, 2019. The licensed facilities will then be posted on a government website.
The move will force treatment programs to follow rules such as reporting critical incidents, creating informed consent policies, and maintaining appropriate records.
Inspectors will be able to enforce standards by issuing stop orders and administrative penalties of up to $ 10,000 per day. Fines imposed by the court will be limited to $ 100,000 per day.
Title of protection
The Mental Health Protection Act would also launch a new self-financing regulatory body called the College of Counseling Therapy.
This organization could then define everything from the field of practice to the basic prices of treatment centers, and the basic requirements for obtaining a professional license.
Professional titles will also be protected, and those who do not have the proper identity information may be fined. This will apply to counseling therapists, addiction counselors, addictions and alcohol counselors, and child and youth counselors.
The title of psychotherapist will also be protected, its use being reserved for therapists-advice, psychologists, doctors and surgeons qualified.
Alberta follows the example of other provinces, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec.
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