Pubdate: Wed, 19 Nov 2003
Source: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2003, West Partners Publishing Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.kelownacapnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1294
Author: John McDonald

METHADONE CLINIC LACKS LOCAL MD SUPPORT

A company that operates methadone clinics in Vancouver and Nanaimo is 
opening an office in Kelowna although there is still no local physician 
willing to work at it.

Gardell and Associates, which will offer private addictions counseling and 
referral services alongside the methadone clinic, has already begun 
accepting patients with opiate addictions at its office on St. Paul Street 
near Bernard Avenue.

Those patients would previously have had to travel to Vernon for treatment 
by Dr. Robert Ross under the B.C. Methadone Program which is administered 
by the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons.

However, the Capital News reported in May that Ross would no longer accept 
new methadone patients from the Central Okanagan and would stop treating 
existing patients from here if local physicians did not make some effort to 
establish a local methadone clinic.

While Gardell and Associates will fulfill that need, there is still no 
local doctor willing to staff the clinic although the company says it has 
at least one local doctor who is interested.

"There is a local doctor who's away in South Africa and won't be back for 
six weeks and he's definitely expressed an interest," said Ed Birkenthal, 
one of two managing partners of Gardell and Associates.

"Another doctor may possibly move to the Kelowna area, that's why he's 
interested."

Birkenthal would not reveal their names until they have confirmed their 
participation.

In the meantime, he said the clinic will operate with a doctor from 
Kamloops who will travel to Kelowna one day a week until a local doctor can 
be found. For his part, Ross said he's satisfied with the solution although 
he is critical of the lack of participation by local doctors.

"Something had to happen and it did and that's good but I would prefer to 
have seen local doctors do it rather than outsiders," said Ross.

He has been treating opiate addicts for 10 years from his Vernon office and 
estimated he had at least 100 patients from the Central Okanagan, but added 
there are likely 300 to 500 people here who would benefit from the 
methadone program based on the population.

With the clinic in Kelowna opening, Ross said he has already begun telling 
some patients they should seek treatment here.

"We won't abandon anybody but we will encourage them to move to their 
clinic as soon as possible," said Ross.

"But the vast majority, particularly the unstable ones or the one's who 
can't get here easily, will move over."

The Gardell and Associates clinic will initially operate three days a week 
from Tuesday to Thursday with an eye to expanding those hours should demand 
for both the methadone program and the private addictions counseling 
increase, said Birkenthal.

While patients will see the physician and receive their prescription at the 
St. Paul Street office, Birkenthal said they will be encouraged to fill the 
prescription at a pharmacy in their own neighbourhood.

"We don't want them to get centralized in one area," he said. "We also try 
to hook them up with services and get them involved in their own community. 
That's what we try to do."

Birkenthal could not estimate how many methadone program clients he might 
eventually be treating.

"From what I've heard there's lots of individuals here who have been trying 
to get on the (methadone) program but haven't been able to," said 
Birkenthal. "Hopefully, we can open some doors for them."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart