Pubdate: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN) Copyright: 2012 The StarPhoenix Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400 Author: David Hutton HEALTH REGION TO TAKE 'CLOSER LOOK' AT PROGRAM The Saskatoon Health Region will review its methadone program with an eye to reducing the gridlock doctors say is causing patients to be turned away. "I think we have an opportunity to take a closer look with how methadone (patients) are moving through our system," said Tracy Muggli, the health region's director of mental health and addiction services. The health region has had success improving wait times in its adult community mental health services through Lean management practices, a provincewide initiative that aims to eliminate waste in the system, Muggli said. The wait list for that program, which had been nine months, was eliminated, she said. The same philosophy will be applied to the methadone program. The region will map how methadone patients move through the mental health and addictions system and review how to make improvements or find a "more co-ordinated approach." "This isn't unusual work," Muggli said. "It's really becoming the way we do work in all our programs." This week, a number of concerned doctors said the Saskatoon's Health Region's methadone treatment program is only accepting those who are HIV-positive or pregnant and turning away dozens of people looking for help every month. The doctors fear those being turned away are at a high risk of becoming HIV-positive because of needle use. Methadone is a synthetic form of opium used to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms for heroin or painkillers such as morphine or oxycodone. Those on the methadone program range from people addicted to heroin to those who have been over-prescribed painkillers. Improving the backlog in Saskatoon's methadone program is up to the health region, said Kathy Willerth, director of mental health and addiction services for the province's Ministry of Health. There are no "planned increases" in funding to address the need for more drug and alcohol counsellors, she said. "We're really hopeful they'll be able to find a solution within existing resources," Willerth said. The health region's program also involves addictions counselling. The main issue is a lack of counsellors to work with patients, the doctors say. The backlog in Saskatoon's methadone program is "unique" in the province, Willerth said. There are roughly 2,400 people in methadone programs province wide. Physicians require an exemption to prescribe methadone. The health region is working to find more family physicians willing to take on stable program patients, freeing up specialist physicians with a long history of working with addictions to take on new high-risk users. Outreach workers are also "doing everything they can to support people" and get them into detox or addiction programs, Muggli said. Willerth said the methadone program has "a very important role as a part of a harm reduction strategy and in preventing diseases." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom