Pubdate: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 Source: Maple Ridge Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc Contact: http://www.mrtimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1372 Author: Amy Steele Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) LOCALS DEBATE DETOX NEED Right now in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows adults who need to go to a detox centre have to go to Surrey, Vancouver or Chilliwack for help. But they don't always get in because those detox beds are often full. That's not good enough for NDP MLA Michael Sather and Kathie Chiu, executive director of the Salvation Army and others who work with people suffering from addictions. Sather said forcing people from Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows to go to Surrey, Vancouver or Chilliwack is "totally inadequate." "It's not very accessible," he said. Sather, a former mental health therapist with Fraser Health Authority, said he knows from past experience that if addicts don't get into detox when they're ready to go "sometimes they give up." "If they can get in and they can stick with it they can turn around their lives," said Sather. "The Tri-Cities, Ridge Meadows area is growing quickly and I think we should definitely have one in our area." Chiu said the lack of adequate detox services has been something the Salvation Army has been aware of for some time. "We definitely need more detox beds and we've been complaining about this for a long time. It's absolutely ridiculous getting people into detox," said Chiu, explaining people often have to wait a week. "If they're ready to go they're ready to go. You wait a couple of days and they're gone. They've chickened out... and they're still in the middle of active using," she said. Even if there are detox beds available, Chiu said getting homeless clients there is a big challenge. "All the way to Surrey from Maple Ridge is like a two or three hour journey (via public transit)," she said. Sather agreed that getting to the detox centres is a big problem. "If you're going by bus you really have to be determined (due to poor public transit options)," he said. Chiu believes that wherever there's a hospital or major treatment facility there should also be a detox centre. "It doesn't seem to make any sense to me they have to go so far," she said. If addicts can't get into detox it prevents them from being able to enter into a long-term treatment facility because many want the addicts to have gone through medical detox first, added Chiu. Billy Weselowski, executive director of InnerVisions Recovery Society, said his society prefers to deal with clients that have already detoxed due to safety concerns. He agreed that Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows need their own detox facility. "I think it's a huge barrier," said Weselowski about the fact that Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows don't have a detox centre. "We're getting to the place with our growth...where we're building up our infrastructure for our city but we're not doing very well with the (social) infrastructure." Weselowski, who is a former addict, said you need to ensure people get into detox as soon as they're ready. "When the window of opportunity comes you've got to be able to capitalize on that," he said. Dave Speers, project manager for Alouette Home Start Society, said the society's two outreach workers often struggle to get people into detox due to waiting lists. "If there was a detox facility in this community I think it would make our jobs easier and take away a few of those challenge," he said. However, Speers said his organization does a good job of connecting people with the services they require. Ron Lawrance, executive director of Alouette Addictions, which offers day treatment to addicts, said there seems to be a shortage of detox beds. But he said he doesn't believe that Maple Ridge needs a detox centre as long as addicts are able to get to the existing ones. Lawrance said his organization does everything it can to ensure clients can get to detox. "I think what Fraser Health has done is to locate (detox centres) in strategic points where the majority of the population is," he said. No one from the Fraser Health Authority was available to comment by press time. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath