Good news for Portage
Saint-Malachie

As of April 1st, 2010, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec is now contributing 1.4 million dollars annually to help finance Portage’s drug addiction rehabilitation centre for francophone adolescents in Saint-Malachie. This new financing allows Portage to offer its services free-of-charge to youth residing in the eastern regions of Quebec.  This is excellent news for Portage, and we are incredibly grateful to the representatives from the MSSS and the Agence de Santé et services sociaux de Chaudière-Appalaches, especially Mr. Émilien Bouffard, whose collaboration was central to creation of this agreement.

Portage’s adolescent program in Saint-Malachie provides addiction rehabilitation services to youth from 14 to 18 years of age.  At Portage, young people can work through their addiction problems, while at the same time benefiting from on-site educational programming.

For youth and by youth, “La Rive” raises awareness about drug addiction

Since it was established in 2004, a number of graduates of the Portage adolescent program have benefited from the “La Rive” project, a social rehabilitation program through which participants develop their employability skills through the production of a multimedia play, performed in schools and youth centres in the local community. Read more...

Photo: New supervised apartment for graduates of Portage's program for Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers. 

Open House at Portage's centre for Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers

On May 6th, the Portage centre for Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers (MICA) welcomed about fifty representatives from hospitals and centres who work directly with this clientele for its third annual Open House.

“Since its inception, more than 700 people have attended the Portage MICA program and its supervised apartments. Our program is designed for their reality, and with ongoing follow-up for two years, it provides the best possible chances in favour of our residents’ success. We are particularly proud to have added a new supervised apartment this year, bringing the total number of apartments available to residents who have completed the residential phase of our program to three,” highlighted Antonio Maturo, director of the MICA centre. Read more...

Read the testimonials presented at the Open House by a resident and his father.

Major renovations at Portage Lac Écho’s adolescent house

Following a fire last August in the Lac Écho adolescent house, the residents had to move into temporary accommodations.  The boys’ and the girls’ dormitories as well as the dining room and some administrative offices were badly damaged by smoke.  Portage made the most of the situation by renovating and improving the damaged areas.  The refurbishing process was carried out throughout the winter. Read more...

Adult induction phase transferred to the lac Écho centre in Prévost 

Since June 7th, the induction phase of the Portage adult program, which was previously done at the Day Centre in Montréal, has been transferred to the residential centre in Prévost due to a funding shortfall. The Day Centre welcomed adult substance abusers for a three to four week preparation period prior to their transfer to the residential centre at Lac Écho in Prévost.

Evaluations and admissions are still being done at the Montréal centre at 1640 Saint-Antoine Street, which also manages the information phone line. Once all the formalities necessary to open the file are completed, clients are sent directly to Lac Écho. For more information about the Portage adult program, call 514-939-0202.

This change in the induction phase of the adult drug rehabilitation program is not expected to have an impact on the therapeutic process. Portage remains committed to maintaining the high quality of services that our residents are accustomed to. 

Portage across Canada
The Accreditation Canada visit

All Portage centres participating in the accreditation process had their Accreditation Canada visit during the week of June 7-11.  Each of these centres had received the Accreditation Primer in 2008 and 2009.  The purpose of this year’s visit was to complete the accreditation process, demonstrating the continuous improvement of the quality of Portage’s services, the competency of the staff members, and the expertise of the organisation.

At the end of the week, the Accreditation Canada surveyors expressed how delighted they were to have visited Portage, thanking the staff members for their warm welcome and their patience.  They noted the flexibility and adaptability of the organisation and the very high quality of services and care offered to residents.  The surveyors were struck by the devotion, passion, and creativity of Portage staff members and praised Portage’s continuing efforts to improve practices and measures to ensure the safety of residents.  They were especially impressed by Portage’s focus on residents and their families, enthusiastically highlighting the Recognition Ceremonies, the official recognition of each resident who completes the Portage program.

Accreditation Canada’s Board of Directors will be making their official decision about Portage’s accreditation status in the coming days.  Portage is pleased to have participated in this process and is committed to maintaining all the improvements that have been made, while continuously bettering its service offering.

Portage across Canada
GAIN training

About Portage

Portage is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping people who are suffering from substance abuse-related problems to overcome their dependencies and to live healthy, happy and productive lives. Portage is a vital and progressive force in the drug addiction treatment field in North America, with service centres in Québec, New Brunswick, Ontario, and British Columbia. Through drug addiction treatment best practices and the therapeutic community approach, Portage helps residents develop their self-esteem, confidence, and the competencies necessary to overcome addiction. Portage has been operating drug rehabilitation centres in Canada for 35 years.

Read more about Portage’s mission, vision, and values.