From a seed, a pine grows - that's the motto of Pine Lodge, southeast Saskatchewan's only in-patient drug and alcohol addiction treatment centre. After 32 years of helping residents overcome substance abuse and seeing nearly 10,000 patients come through their doors, the centre is finally in a position to help even more people.

Pine Lodge Treatment Centre received a boost in the 2019-20 provincial budget. With $30 million going towards addictions and mental health, roughly $500,000 will go to Pine Lodge, which is located in the town of Indian Head. The $467,000 in funding will add 10 beds to the 23-bed facility.

Pine Lodge Director Lauren MacDonald said they were ecstatic when they heard the news.

"To have more people in here and the peer-centred treatment that we offer is just second to none."

She said the 28-day program is intense and largely client-led. After admission, a comprehensive assessment is conducted and an initial treatment plan is put in place. Treatment involves education and group therapy. Participation in a 12-step program is also required.

"We have quite a few added programming through the Hazelden Betty Ford Clinic that we added in, and they still do their guilts and resentments, and anybody that's been through Pine Lodge knows how important those are," explained MacDonald. "So, it's intense, they're up at 6:30 in the morning and they go to bed at 10 o'clock at night and they're constantly working throughout the day. A lot of the onus is on themselves, and their group and their peers. It is a peer support treatment centre. We are just here to facilitate. They do the work."

Pine Lodge staff (photo courtesy of Pine Lodge Facebook page).

Foster Monson is the executive director of Regina Recovery Homes Inc, which operates Pine Lodge. He shared how the funding will change the centre.

"How we deliver food service, for example, in a small measure. There might be some other changes that are going to have to take place within the building itself. Maybe some reallocation of space, with respect to operating another group, which we have space for. So, there's lots of things. We have a lot of space, it's just how we allocate that space."

The Ministry of Health will allocate a further $25,000 for renovations needed to accommodate the ten extra patients. Monson said they are unsure what renovations will be required as of yet but said new staff will definitely need to be hired.

Monson said the government is on the right track with the funding announcement and said it will go a long way towards reducing their waiting list. Some patients can wait up to two months to get into the program.

MacDonald said reducing wait times for addicts seeking treatment can be critical to their recovery.

"A lot of people I see that come here, they don't want to come here, they have the consequence, they need to come here, their family or whether it be legal, whatever, but something happens when they come here that just completely turns them around," shared MacDonald. "So, the sooner they can get here, the sooner we can start to treat them, rehabilitate them, give them the information they need and they can start their new life."

Patients are encouraged to stay involved with the treatment centre upon their discharge, with Pine Lodge offering lifetime return visits and membership to their alumni group. They are also encouraged to continue their recovery by participating in a 12-step program in their community.

No date has been set as of yet for when the changes to the facility will take place.