Pubdate: Fri, 24 Mar 2006
Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Contact:  http://www.pqbnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361
Author: Alli Vail
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)

METH FUNDS TARGETED FOR BEDS

The Cheque Was In The Mail -- Literally.

"We got a cheque the other day for $36,000 from VIHA," says Kevin 
Wilson, the chair of the now disbanded Oceanside Crystal Meth Task 
Force and the executive director of the Society of Organized Services.

The money is for two new supported residential stabilization beds in 
Parksville for youth struggling with addictions. The beds are offered 
in partnership with Ministry of Children and Families Development, 
which put in $14,000 and Society of Services, which put in $25,000.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority has increased the annual budget 
for youth addictions by $1.176 million annually and earmarked an 
additional $363,000 for crystal meth treatment.

However, District 69 did not benefit from the extra $363,000.

"We didn't get any of the money just released," Wilson says.

The money VIHA did send had been secured much earlier and is part of 
a new annual commitment between VIHA, the SOS and the Ministry of 
Children and Family Development.

Wilson says the beds are "absolutely crucial."

"We are the only beds north of Nanaimo," he says. "There was nothing 
north of Victoria before."

Nanaimo received funding for three new withdrawal management beds in 
Nanaimo and three new supported residential stabilization beds.

Youth with crystal meth addictions will have priority access to some 
of the new beds. Wilson expects the District 69 beds will be 
available some time within two months.

"We could be using them right now (for detoxing kids)," he says.

The beds will be available for any addicted youth in District 69, and 
are expected to be located in Parksville.

"It was originally intended for crystal meth," he says. "I think we 
frightened the kids right off it. It's all addictions. What we're 
catering for is kids on addictions."

According to the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey, 25 per cent of B.C. 
youth have early stage problems with substance abuse. Of these, 10 
per cent have serious substance abuse problems and five per cent are 
chemically dependent.

Education about addictions, and crystal meth, is the next focus.

"A lot of this treatment stuff is coming to completion," says Tanya 
Turner, the coordinator for the SOS.

VIHA has also funded $4,000 to the steering committee that came out 
of the crystal meth task force for public educational materials about 
addictions.

Some of that education will come in the form of motivational speakers 
like Serge LeClerc, who talks with youth about his life as a long 
term prison inmate with a 20-year drug attraction, to a graduate of 
the University of Waterloo and leading expert in adolescent 
polysubstance dependency disorder. He'll be speaking on May 3 at 6 
p.m. at the SOS Child Youth and Family Centre.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom