Pubdate: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 Source: Coast Reporter (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 Coast Reporter Contact: http://www.coastreporter.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/580 Author: Stephanie Douglas, Staff Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange) A CONVERSATION MOVING TOWARDS HEALTH Drug Forum On Tuesday night, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), as a part of national addictions awareness week, hosted a panel discussion at St. Mary's Hospital on the role of the community in drug prevention. Titled Moving Towards Health - a conversation about the role of community in drug prevention and treatment, the panel consisted of a number of people whose primary concern and focus in what they do is helping the community become healthy or stay healthy. The panelists included Dr. Faith Auton-Cuff, manager of mental health and addictions; Dr. Jim McFarland, Sunshine Coast methadone maintenance program; Brent Fitzsimmons, VCH needle exchange program; Lori Dixon, School District No. 46 trustee; Dr. Craig Emes, psychiatrist with mental health and addictions; Grant Simpson, youth justice worker; Eleanor Weston, registered nurse and tobacco reduction co-ordinator; Don Hensler, mentor-recovering community; and Rev. Terri Scallon, Gibsons United Church. The 20 or so people in the audience were primarily people who work or are affiliated with community services and programs. "I believe the role of community is to continually be open to engaging in conversation. We are all community and community lives in all our lives," Auton-Cuff said. "We all need to be in dialogue about the issues that engage us, the issues that distress us and the issues that concern us, but to also notice the moments when change happens. We cannot be so deficit minded that we don't notice when change happens." Across the board, the message given by panelists was the importance community plays in preventing drug and alcohol abuse. Fitzsimmons talked of what it means for people to access a needle exchange program. "The program is now an important part of our continuum of care," he said. "Through the needle exchange program, people are given the chance to minimize their risk and self-harm by giving them a way to keep themselves as healthy as possible and the dignity to protect themselves from blood-borne pathogens and viruses." "When we say it takes a community to raise a child, it is so true, so very true," added Dixon. "That's not a negative, just a reality." Dixon said there are two things to keep in mind when dealing with young people - giving them the facts and engaging youth directly in their own solutions. "You can't baloney a kid; they have radar for that. Give them real information. If not, they are going to try things out for themselves," said Dixon. Even armed with the truth, she said, they might still try things out for themselves, but she believes kids armed with the truth are more likely to go more gently on themselves when they experiment. Scallon talked about the role of spirituality in communities and in families. She said her approach to spirituality is more "proactive and less ethereal." She said when people call her in a state of hopelessness, she tells them to connect with something positive within themselves and reach out with that to the community. That something can be as simple as a smile and a hello to someone who reciprocates. At the end of the presentations, the audience had a chance to pose questions, reflect, muse or share any insights derived from hearing the speakers. While there weren't a lot of questions, there was a lot of discussion about the comments panelists made and insights about gaps in service and what types of upcoming new programs will be in place to serve the community. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake