WINNIPEG - More health care resources are on the way to Manitoba.
Monday, the provincial government announced it will issue a request for proposals which would see 100 supportive recovery beds added to the health-care system to help strengthen mental health and addictions services.
Minister Cameron Friesen, Health, Seniors and Active Living, said the demand is growing for these kinds of resources.
“We know that unless people get this safe hand-off to housing we know that all too many times we know that person is relapsing and presenting in the system,” he said.
Friesen said the Virgo Report had pointed out that services like this require more coordination and resources, and this announcement is about providing those resources.
“These supportive beds are far more than a place to stay,” said Friesen. “These beds are a place where someone can be surrounded with community, there can be accountability, there can be opportunities for volunteering and for jobs. It’s a safe space to be.”
There are currently 174 support recovery beds in Manitoba. The new beds will go in both urban and rural placements, where there are ‘significant demonstrations’ of the problem in the community, as well as other services being offered to work alongside them.
The request for proposals will be issued before the end of the year. Friesen said the plan is to have these new beds in place within the next two years.
