Henwood treatment centre will reopen after flood damage repairs, Recovery Alberta says

The Henwood Treatment Centre in northeast Edmonton will reopen and resume addiction and mental health services once flood damage is repaired, Recovery Alberta announced Friday, ending uncertainty about the facility's future after June flooding forced it to suspend operations.

"Recovery Alberta has assessed the damage to date and reviewed current and future service needs," the provincial agency said in a statement. "That work has informed the decision to resume voluntary bed-based addiction treatment services at the site."

The repair work is substantial. Preliminary estimates indicate remediation, renovations and improvements could take one to two years to complete and cost approximately $6 million.

When flooding forced Henwood to close in June, Recovery Alberta reached out to 104 patients awaiting admission to organize alternative treatment options. Staff said they contacted a much larger number to inform them of the temporary closure.

As HighOnCity reported in August, unions representing Henwood staff said some members had received layoff notices following the facility's closure. Recovery Alberta said it will address staffing impacts resulting from the flooding and centre closure. Employees are members of various unions including the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and the United Nurses of Alberta.

The province has not disclosed how many beds Henwood had before the flood or how many treatment spaces were lost during the closure period.