A new provincial health agency focused on delivering public health and addiction services has been launched. Recovery Alberta began operating on Sunday, September 1.
Roughly 10,000 staff and physicians transferred to Recovery Alberta from Alberta Health Services (AHS) to provide recovery-oriented addiction, mental health and correctional health services across the province.
The services of Recovery Alberta are publicly funded and include care offered in acute care, outpatient, virtual, detoxification and standalone psychiatric settings, along with community outreach and community bed-based health and addiction treatment. The organization is also responsible for all correctional health services throughout Alberta.
“Thanks to the ongoing commitment of staff and physicians, we are well-positioned for a positive transition,” says Recovery Alberta CEO Kerry Bales. “Their continued dedication will support ongoing continuity of services for all patients and clients.”
Officials note that staff will continue to work with AHS workers in shared spaces and maintain partnerships with existing care partners and community organizations.
“From day one, a key priority for our leadership and staff is to work collaboratively across the system to improve the experience of our patients and clients,” says Bales.
“We are committed to ensuring that all Albertans, no matter where they live, have the specialized and integrated services and supports they need.”
In May 2024, the Alberta government introduced legislation to break up AHS into four separate agencies, which would be focused on primary care, acute care, continuing care, and mental health and addictions.
Recovery Alberta is the first of those four agencies to start operating.
“This dedicated focus on mental health and addiction provides an opportunity to enhance essential services, which will have a positive ripple effect on the overall health and wellbeing of our communities,” says Dr. Nicholas Mitchell, interim Chief Medical Officer for Recovery Alberta.
More on the new agency is available at the Recovery Alberta website.
