Pubdate: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 Source: Chilliwack Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 Chilliwack Times Contact: http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1357 Author: Mike Chouinard FRASER VALLEY LEFT TO GO COLD TURKEY AS DETOX CENTRE AXED Critics Says Decision Short-sighted As Patients Will Still End Up In The Hospital The 10-bed detox unit inside the Chilliwack General Hospital only opened about four years ago, but it's one of several services that fell victim to recent cuts announced by the Fraser Health Authority (FHA). People who work with recovering addicts think the decision will only make it harder for the people needing treatment. The FHA confirmed it will close the "withdrawal management services" program at Chilliwack General as of Dec. 31, although people midway through the detox process will be allowed to finish their treatment. Tim Bohr, associate pastor and community relations coordinator with the Salvation Army in Chilliwack, said he was stunned to learn that the program will be cut after only being opened for approximately four years. "I'm quite surprised because it's been quite successful," he said. The Salvation Army has referred many people to the detox program at the hospital since it opened, and Bohr said it has been able to make a difference in people's live. He now fears its closure will force people trying to beat substance abuse to move farther away from the people close to them that can provide support. "This just means they'll have to leave their community, leave their families," he said. Bohr said the Salvation Army will remain committed to trying to help addicts in any way it can. A nurse with experience in recovery programs echoed Bohr's sentiments. (She asked not to be identified for the news story.) She knows the program has been crucial for many local addicts in the few years it has been open. "To me, it has a special place in my heart," she said. "I realize how vital it is." The move, she said, will only mean spending more health dollars as people battling substance abuse will be redirected to regular hospital wards to be treated by regular staff that do not necessarily have the skills in dealing with detoxing patients. "It's not like they're saving money. The patients will end up in our medical unit," she said. The reason the program was opened in 2005, she said, was because addicts were ending up on the medical floor and costing the system, and she expects this will be the result once the unit is closed. The nurse, like other staff, only learned of the cuts through an e-mail on Thursday from Dr. Nigel Murray, the health authority's CEO. In addition to the closure of Chilliwack General Hospital's withdrawal management program, the e-mail mentions other cuts including winter and spring break shutdowns for outpatient and ambulatory care clinics; convalescent care and hospice at Queen's Park Care Centre in New Westminster; residential care on the third floor of Weatherby at Peace Arch Hospital; and adolescent psychiatry unit at Abbotsford Regional Hospital. An FHA spokesperson confirmed people in the Chilliwack area requiring withdrawal services will be directed to the Creekside Withdrawal program in Surrey. The health authority plans to use some of the savings to help with transportation costs for that program, to employ an outreach worker at Chilliwack General to help provide resource information, to support an early discharge service at CGH for people after leaving the Creekside program, and to provide some home-based detox services. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D