The National Anti-Drug Strategy and the Treatment Action Plan

In 2007, the federal government introduced the National Anti-Drug Strategy (NADS) to provide a focused approach to reducing the demand for and supply of illicit drugs, as well as addressing the crime associated with illegal drugs, leading to safer and healthier communities. This strategy developed a Treatment Action Plan that emphasizes, among other priorities, the need for effective treatment services to better treat illicit drug problems, and help those in need.

The Drug Treatment Funding Program under the Treatment Action Plan

On April 28, 2008, as part of the Treatment Action Plan under NADS, the Drug Treatment Funding Program (DTFP) was announced. The delivery of treatment services and systems is primarily the responsibility of provincial/territorial (P/T) governments.

Treatment Systems

Health Canada has worked collaboratively with P/Ts and other stakeholders to develop the DTFP, undertaking consultations across the country and national level studies on treatment needs and gaps in 2005 and 2006 respectively. These studies demonstrated that systemic change is needed to move treatment systems towards more evidence-informed practices. At the same time, the studies indicated that the need to increase systems capacity for their efficiency and effectiveness and increase access to treatment services for vulnerable groups such as women and youth.

Support for treatment systems is designed to help P/Ts and key stakeholders make improvements to drug treatment systems by investing in activities that strengthen performance measurement and evaluation. A couple of examples are: developing national indicators and moving best practice research into the day to day clinical practice of front-line workers.

Investment in these areas ensures that much needed systems development work can be carried out to advance and enhance P/T program delivery so that Canadians are assured of receiving the most efficient and effective care possible.

Treatment Services

In addition to support for systems, funding under the DTFP also includes services support. Support for treatment services for at-risk youth provides funding over five years to P/Ts for new and enhanced early intervention treatment services in communities or regions of the country where there is a high proportion of at-risk youth whose illicit drug treatment needs are not being met due to critical gaps in services.

Activities include: assessment and referral; brief interventions that incorporate cognitive behavioural approaches and motivational interviewing concepts; case management, family-focused interventions; outreach; and screening.

Early intervention treatment services can take place in settings such as schools or community centres, through mobile services such as visiting treatment counsellors, or by having frontline workers go to the various locations where youth are experimenting with illicit drugs.

The Downtown Eastside project

The Downtown Eastside project provides funding over five years for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to be implemented in partnership with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, an agency of the government of British Columbia. This initiative provides improved treatment for individuals living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and helps those with complex needs such as disadvantaged women with concurrent disorders working in the sex trade.

Services include a transitional Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team of professionals, and 20 new treatment beds dedicated to vulnerable female drug addicts.