Province announces support for women’s addictions treatment facility at Victoria Hospital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/04/2024 (561 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The tragic death of a young man, which sparked the opening of a men-only addictions treatment centre, is now leading to the creation of one to help women and their families.

It was only one line in Tuesday’s 129-page provincial budget book, but it marked an important step for the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre.

The government said it “will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the new Victoria ER, Centre of Excellence in Mature Women’s Health, and we will support the Anne Oake Recovery Centre at the Victoria General Hospital site.”

Scott and Anne Oake spent a decade fundraising and convincing politicians to help make the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre a reality for men battling addiction. The award-winning sports broadcaster and Hockey Night in Canada fixture and his late wife said getting a treatment centre for women and their families built was always the second half of their dream.

Bruce Oake, the couple’s son, died of an accidental overdose in 2011. He was 25.

Anne died of an autoimmune disease in 2021 at the age of 65. She lived to see the recovery centre named in her son’s honour open its doors; its first graduates walked out through them two days after her death.

“We are so grateful for the government’s incredible support of this,” Scott Oake said Friday. “Anne would be over the moon about this. She would be ecstatic that the project will see women get the same opportunity men at Bruce Oake do.

“It is also emotional to me because she was a driving force behind the Bruce Oake (facility) and it is a dagger she didn’t see its success or this one. But her spirit is with us forever.”

Premier Wab Kinew said more details about the new facility will be announced at a later date.

“When it comes to Anne Oake, the long-term vision for the (Victoria General Hospital) site is not only a new emergency room, but a centre of excellence to meet the needs of women in our province, which includes a mature women’s centre — includes more of the services around that investment — and also includes a path to recovery for women who want to pursue that while also having a space for their children,” Kinew said.

The Bruce Oake Memorial Foundation — the fundraising arm of the family’s efforts — launched a capital campaign for the new facility Friday, naming former premier Gary Doer, Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey and philanthropist Bonnie Buhler as co-chairs.

“I’m glad to be part of it and I’m glad the government is proceeding with it,” Doer said.

“They’ve identified the appropriate land and the community has been supportive. The community was so positive when raising money for the Bruce Oake and it has turned out to be quite a success. The community should be proud of it.

“Now this new facility will be standing on the shoulders of the Bruce Oake Centre.”

Lisa Cowan, executive director of Winnipeg’s Tamarack Recovery Centre, said a new facility for women is needed in on the city.

“They will be a vital part of the treatment field,” Cowan said. “The demand for treatment is still incredibly high. Anything we can do as a city and a province to meet that need is essential.”

Thus far, 90 graduates of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre program have celebrated a full year of sobriety. The facility, built on the site of a former community indoor arena in west Winnipeg, has 50 treatment beds.

The Anne Oake Recovery Centre will have as many as 70 beds to accommodate children who accompany their mothers.

“Women need recovery as much as men,” Scott Oake said. “We couldn’t have women with the men at Bruce Oake because it’s not a wise idea to mix men and women together when they are at their most vulnerable.

“We also knew we would need more beds than at Bruce Oake because a lot of women have their children with them and they don’t want to go into treatment if they were worried they could lose custody.”

He said while there is no target date for opening, “We’re very optimistic we can get moving sooner rather than later.”

— with files from Chris Kitching

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca