Regina’s Harm Reduction Methadone Clinic changes name to Opioid Addiction Treatment Clinic

Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) announced that they are renaming the Harm Reduction Methadone Clinic in Regina to the Opioid Addiction Treatment Clinic (OAT Clinic).

They said in a press release that the new name is meant to better reflect the health services offered at the clinic, which centre around medical treatment options for opioid addictions.

“We had understood and heard for some time that it was there were some difficulties in being able to find our services and being able to understand the services that are offered at the clinic,” said Kathy Willers, director of community mental health and addiction for SHA.

“And then really what clients or patients could expect when coming to the clinic. So we were thinking about how to make that easier and in that wanted a name that was more descriptive of the service offered.”

Opioid agonist therapy, also known as opioid addiction treatment, has been provided through this SHA-funded and operated addiction services clinic for approximately 20 years, using a combination of medication, counselling and other community supports.

Willers said that the services are going to remain the same. “The individuals who come to the opioid addiction treatment clinic will be offered a team based approach. And the services are really centered around the physicians at the at the clinic as a central service,” Willers said.

“And then there is a team, including individuals such as addiction counsellors, addictions, nurses, outreach staff and elder.”

She added that methadone will remain as one of the treatment options that physicians might offer but not exclusively the only one.

“Taking the reference to methadone out of the name of the clinic helps to clarify that there are other options and some of them are newer options in the addictions medicine world in Saskatchewan,” Willers said. “So it was it was important to have the clinic renamed.”

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Willers said that there are lots of other services that get captured under that umbrella of harm reduction, and their staff can help clients access some of those safer supplies as well.

“Physicians meet with anyone who comes in with an opioid, who’s struggling with an opioid addiction and would meet with them and make a decision about the most appropriate medication. One of those options that’s available for them to choose from would be methadone,” Willers said.

“If they also wanted to be engaged with addiction counsellors they can do that right on site. If they also want to participate in detox or residential inpatient treatment, they could facilitate that as well.”

She added that OAT is a place where people struggling with opioid addictions can get treatment but if they want a safe consumption site that would be offered at a safe consumption site or overdose prevention  site such as the Newo-Yotina Friendship Centre in Regina.