Southern Health’s one detox bed not enough for addictions help, RAAM clinic needed in Steinbach, advocates say

Southeastern Manitoba and Steinbach don’t have enough addictions and detox resources available, leaving those struggling with long travel distances and waits for care, advocates say.

Southern Health only has one detox bed, located in Portage la Prairie. Manitoba has seven Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinics, located in Brandon, Selkirk, Thompson, Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie. Steinbach has none.

Charlene Kroeker, office manager for Steinbach Community Outreach, said Steinbach’s addictions resources are ”very slim” and said the lone detox bed, nearly 125 kilometres west of Steinbach, is inaccessible for the city’s residents.

“People who are seeking to get help in the community, where they live and where their supports and family and friends are, and they don’t want to go all the way across the province in order to access the help,” she said. “So definitely, there’s a gap here in town (Steinbach).”

Kroeker said the charity has never seen any of its clients access the detox bed.

The Carillon was denied an interview with Southern Health officials.

To access Southern Health’s detox bed, also referred to as Medical Withdrawal Management Services, doctors have to assess and refer a person for care, a Southern Health spokesperson said in an email statement. This can happen when someone arrives at any of the health authority’s emergency rooms or on an individual basis. More than 40 people were treated in the bed last year, with the typical stay lasting two to five days.

Southern Health also has virtual care and a mobile addiction withdrawal service that visits communities and individual homes upon a doctor referral, according to its website.

Kroeker said the mobile service doesn’t meet the need for homeless people struggling with addiction because it requires a space to offer daily checks. She said Steinbach Community Outreach offered to host the visits more than a year ago but hasn’t seen it arrive.

While the health region’s virtual appointments are useful, it doesn’t help those who are most vulnerable because people who are homeless or in poverty don’t have easy access to a computer, she said.

“Because of the hoops that you have to jump through in order to access their (Southern Health’s) services, it’s been difficult for us to get our people connected with them,” she said.

When attempting to find addiction and detox treatment, the non-profit often sends people to Winnipeg because it’s closer than Southern Health’s designated bed, Kroeker said. But care in Winnipeg isn’t guaranteed either, and people face wait lists for treatment, she said. Clients have previously waited two weeks for a bed in Winnipeg, Kroeker added.

In Winnipeg, the Health Sciences Centre’s addictions unit has 11 detox beds, while Main Street Project, a homeless outreach non-profit, has 48 beds.

“By the time their name is called for a bed, sometimes they’re not interested anymore,” she said. “They’re not getting those services in a timely manner, which really sets back their sobriety.”

She said it’s also scary for Steinbach or rural residents travelling to Winnipeg because it’s not an environment they’re used to and centres, such as Main Street Project, can be overwhelming. In some cases, people may choose to not access care when its available to them, Kroeker said.

When finding care in Steinbach, she said there’s often confusion from the Southern Health’s Addictions ACCESS centre, located at 365 Reimer Ave, when determining if someone needs mental health treatment or addictions treatment. The centre offers counselling and drug education.

Some people are turned away from addictions assistance because staff say they need mental health treatment instead and vice versa, she said.

“They’re caught in the middle there. Neither team will see them until they get the other thing dealt with,” Kroeker said.

She said the province, city officials, Southern Health and community groups need to come together to address the issue and create a plan for addictions treatment.

If the resources aren’t improved, Kroeker said Steinbach will see more drug overdoses.

There’s still stigma in discussing addictions in the city, despite Steinbach Community Outreach seeing rising cases of drug use and overdoses, she said.

“People see it as you just need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get yourself clean, which isn’t always possible,” she said.

When addictions help is more available, the stigma can be reduced, Kroeker said.

Cyndy Friesen, a member of the South East Equity Coalition, has advocated for Steinbach to build a RAAM clinic since 2018.

She said she’s brought the need for a RAAM clinic before Steinbach’s city council multiple times, but said the city is “washing their hands” of the issue. While addiction services fall under provincial jurisdiction, Friesen said city council can do more and ask the province for help.

“This is what you do when you see a need, you advocate. They’re (Steinbach city council) doing it for doctor recruitment, but they’re not doing it for other services needed here,” said the former Hanover School Division school board trustee.

Since 2024, Steinbach has run a doctor recruitment task force to entice more doctors to come to the Southeast.

Friesen said Steinbach needs to take action addressing addiction because crime and poverty will continue to rise if supports aren’t improved.

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get,” Friesen said.

She said there’s no “magic answer” for addressing the addictions stigma in Steinbach, but admitting there’s a problem would be the first step.

Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk said he had conversations with the province about opening a RAAM clinic during the throne speech in November 2025.

“It’s not that we’re turning a blind eye to this. There’s a process, and it will take time to get going,” he said.

Funk said Steinbach is advocating for more addictions resources, the same way its advocating for more doctors.

The Carillon was denied an interview with Housing, Homelessness and Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith.

In an email statement, a provincial spokesperson said Portage la Prairie was selected to have a RAAM clinic through consultations with the province. No details were provided on what consultations happened or when.

They said physician referral is not required to access addictions treatment.

“The department remains engaged with Southern Health-Santé Sud to assess demand and plan for future enhancements or expansions of mental health and addiction services in the region,” the spokesperson said.

The statement provided no answer for why Southern Health only has one detox bed.