Government & Policy
Mental health and addiction agency announced in Alberta
April 3, 2024
EDMONTON – Alberta premier Danielle Smith (pictured) said the province will introduce legislation this spring to create a new governing organization, called Recovery Alberta, to be the new provincial health agency responsible for delivering mental health and addiction services. Smith said the new system, if passed, will be implemented by July 1.
“For those currently accessing care through AHS addiction and mental health, you will continue to access services in the same way that you do now from front line staff working with AHS addiction and mental health,” Smith said. “I want you to know that we are working closely with the transition team at AHS to ensure the transition toward Recovery Alberta is orderly and seamless.”
The creation of the agency follows the November 2023 announcement by the Alberta government on the restructuring of AHS into four new organizations, acute care, continuing care, primary care and mental health and addiction. The mental health and addiction organization will be the first of the four to be established.
Kerry Bales, the current chief program officer for addiction and mental health and correction health services at AHS, will be leading Recovery Alberta as the CEO once it is established.
“There is still so much more work to address mental health and addiction in Alberta … For too long, the planning and delivery of mental health services was fragmented throughout AHS and unfortunately, this lack of focus has led to systemic deficiencies in the system,” Smith told reporters.
“To effectively plan and deliver mental health and addiction services in Alberta, we need an organization dedicated specifically to that.”
Smith later added Recovery Alberta will be “government-funded.” According to a news release, the Alberta government will fund Recovery Alberta’s annual operating budget of $1.13 billion. This money is currently being used to support the delivery of mental health and addiction services at AHS.
The Alberta government also announced it will be establishing the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CORE), to build “recovery-oriented systems of care” by researching best practices, analyzing data and making “evidence-based recommendations. Kym Kauffman, former deputy minister of mental health and community wellness for Manitoba, will lead the agency’s creation as its new CEO.
“Despite all provinces across Canada facing an addictions crisis, there is no clear centre of recovery excellence that can advise on what works and does not work when it comes to mental health and addictions,” said minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams on Tuesday. “It is important to have jurisdictions working together, growing in the same direction when it comes to creating healthy societies.”