Pubdate: Thu, 01 Dec 2011
Source: Recorder & Times, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2011 Recorder and Times
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/kR0Q3nSw
Website: http://www.recorder.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2216
Page: 1
Author: Steve Pettibone

NEW GROUP TO BRING HELP TO ADDICTS

Welcoming Addicts "'With Open Arms"

A new committee tackling drug abuse in the Tri-County area aims to 
offer an increased dose of preventative assistance to addicts in this region.

"A lot of these people are not always well treated within the 
health-care system," Jennifer Adams, co-chairman of the Community 
Harm Reduction Steering Committee told an education forum held at the 
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit office in 
Brockville. "We welcome them with open arms."

The committee was formed in March by the health unit to discuss 
reducing the various harms associated with intravenous drug use. The 
group includes members of TriCounty Addictions Services (TCAS), 
HIV/AIDS Regional Services (HARS), law enforcement personnel and 
other community agencies.

Adams, a public health nurse with the health unit, began the Tuesday 
night forum with an eye-opening presentation on the health unit's 
needle exchange program, Clean Works.

The Clean Works program is a four-component system in which the 
health unit offers drug education, health-care referrals, needle 
exchange and various counselling services to addicts in the Tri-County area.

Adams said 36 of the 37 health units in Ontario currently offer some 
form of needle exchange program, with the lone holdout, Huron County, 
set to follow suit in the near future. There are an estimated 41,000 
intravenous drug users in Ontario, Adams said, and most experts 
consider the real figure to be much higher given the difficulty in 
tracking them.

With incidence of HIV and hepatitis C still rising among injection 
drug users, Adams said the cost of providing them with harm reduction 
tools such as clean needles and condoms is much lower, with it 
costing an estimated $150,000 to treat a person with HIV for a 
lifetime versus $2 to provide him or her with clean supplies.

Clean Works began in 2005. In 2010, Adams said, there were 382 total 
visits to its sites, with more than 71,000 needles being given out 
and just under 33,000 coming back.

There are currently six active sites in the health unit's 
jurisdiction that offer the exchange service, Adams said, as well as 
three community sites -- the Pharmasave in Gananoque, the Smiths 
Falls Methadone Clinic and the Shoppers Drug Mart in Kemptville.

But the program is about far more than just dispensing clean needles, 
Adams said.

"Probably the biggest thing we do is dealing with everyday problems," 
she said, listing food security, access to affordable shelter and 
navigating the legal system as some of the addicts' most common 
problems with which the program helps.

Lest anyone have preconceived notions about the people the program 
serves, Adams also said residents from a whole range of 
socio-economic backgrounds are coming through its doors.

"We have a range of clientele," she said. "Some are stereotypical but 
some are coming in wearing business suits."

And, alarmingly, the program has recently experienced what Adams 
deems an "upswing" in teenagers and young adults between the ages of 
17 and 23. These clients also do not fit the old stereotypes, Adams 
said, noting they are generally well-dressed and not known to be 
involved in any type of street activity.

Adams said clients of the Clean Works program are issued a special 
card, and an agreement with the Brockville Police Service has been 
reached in which users bringing their used supplies to the health 
unit will not be detained by officers should they be stopped en 
route, as long as they do not have any illegal drugs in their 
possession or warrants out for their arrest.

Clients are required register for the program but do not need 
referrals. The program currently only registers clients in Brockville 
and Smiths Falls, Adams said, with about 30 signed up at this point. 
She said it is important to note that each registered user is 
believed to be supplying materials to at least five other users, 
meaning the number is more likely in the range of 150.

Those signing up for the program do not have to give their real name, 
Adams said, although most do. She said many are willing to share 
personal information that helps the health unit, such as their age, 
postal code and which drugs they are using.

This information is useful to the program, as it helps track where 
drug activity is spreading, as well as establishing a trust between 
the program staff and the clients, Adams said.

There is plenty of work left to do to create better conditions for 
the Clean Works program to better assist its clientele, Adams said. 
One large problem is that the agreement with Brockville Police is the 
only one currently in place. Adams said this means that users in 
rural communities transporting their used materials -- which is 
illegal -- can still be detained by other police forces.

John MacTavish, executive director of HIV/AIDS Regional Services, 
said his organization still faces some barriers in its efforts as 
well. The organization has been doing this type of work -- 
distributing clean needles, condoms and other materials -- for more 
than 15 years. He said it troubles him that providing users with 
supplies tends to meet a lot of moral objections from some factions 
when it is an affordable and practical way to keep users safe.

"It's the best tool," he told The Recorder and Times. "They pick the 
kits up and there's everything in them."

MacTavish said the kits include phone numbers for local drug 
addiction services and other counselling services, something that 
helps get the word out to users that there are treatment services 
available to help them right in their own backyard.

"We need people to realize what is available in their communities," 
he said. "No one organization can do this alone; it takes all of us 
working together."

Adams shared similar thoughts, noting the ultimate aim of the Clean 
Works program is to stabilize drug users and keep them safe until 
such time as they are ready to enter treatment.

"We need to protect people as best we can until we can get them into 
treatment," she said.

Also presenting at Tuesday's forum were Kate Johnston, clinic 
coordinator for Change Health Care Inc., who shared information about 
her organization's methadone program; and Tri- County Addictions 
Services health promoter Sara Hammel, who shared information on 
effective addiction drinking strategies and Canada's new low-risk 
drinking guidelines.

For more information on the Community Harm Reduction Steering 
Committee, visit http://www.healthunit.org/harmreduction .
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart