Pubdate: Wed, 26 Jun 2013
Source: Guardian, The (CN PI)
Copyright: 2013 The Guardian, Charlottetown Guardian Group Incorporated
Contact:  http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/174
Author: Teresa Wright

DOCTOR URGES METHADONE PROGRAM EXPANSION

Dr. Don Ling Tells Mlas 60 Per Cent of Those on Program End Up 
Leading Productive Lives

The medical director of the methadone program says the program should 
be expanded due to high levels of success among patients struggling 
with opiate addictions.

Dr. Don Ling told the Standing Committee on Health and Social 
Development Tuesday 60 per cent of those on the methadone program end 
up drug-free and back in the workforce, leading productive lives.

"Lives that are in the dumpster all of a sudden are back in a 
productive way, kids back in mother's care, people back to work or 
school, it's just powerful stuff," Ling told the MLAs on the 
committee. "It's very encouraging." Ling appeared before the 
committee as part of its ongoing consultations regarding the alarming 
number of Islanders becoming addicted to prescription pills.

Ling explained that he started the methadone program in 2004 with 
just nine patients. Today, there are 238 Islanders on the methadone 
program with another 80 on the waiting list. About 50 people are 
added to the program every year.

But Ling says he would like to double that number.

"Our program is excellent. Over the nine years we've developed, I 
think, excellent protocol and we've had excellent results to 
encourage us to keep going. Now I think it's just a matter of getting 
more people," he said. "We can't deal with as many cases as we would 
like. We're limited by resource ... we'd like to see bigger capacity."

Ling said he believes adding more counsellors to deal with front-line 
services to free up physicians to see more patients as well as 
expanding the addictions treatment now being offered in Summerside at 
the Prince County Hospital could make room for another 40 or 50 more 
patients a year.

But he said there is still a stigma when it comes to treating 
patients with addictions with methadone - not just with the public at 
large, but also among other physicians.

"We've got a battle," he said.

"Many physicians just don't want to address this issue. ( Patients) 
feel, I don't know, they're second-class citizens, if you have 
addiction disease." He cited case after case of Islanders who have 
been admitted to the Addictions Treatment Centre in Mount Herbert 
multiple times in the past for their prescription pill addictions who 
have turned their lives around on methadone.

"We had one guy who has been in treatment for a long time. He had 74 
admissions to detox, he got inducted ( into the methadone program) in 
December of 2006 ... since 2009 no admissions to detox and in solid 
recovery," Ling said.

He referenced another 24- year-old woman who had six admissions in 
one year and after being inducted into the program in 2007 has had no 
admissions since.

She has since been excelling in a program at Holland College and has 
been a good mother to her children.

"That's powerful stuff, the recovery rate and the fact they get back 
to regular lives."

But even has he championed the methadone program, Ling also told the 
committee he believes the province should allow an alternate drug 
called Suboxone to be used for the growing number of P. E. I. youths 
struggling with opiate addictions.

He said this treatment is milder than methadone and would be an ideal 
addition to the rehab program for youths, called the Strength 
Program, which currently does not offer any medical component.

"They have a significant casualty rate, meaning they're leaving the 
program in week one or two, but with Suboxone, you would probably 
have kids that would get through it for the eight weeks," Ling said.

"I'm pretty sure Suboxone is going to be supported here soon."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom