Pubdate: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Andre Serzisko ADDICTION SERVICES LOST UNDER CURRENT MODEL Finally someone has the courage to talk publicly about the massive failure that the Vancouver Island Health Authority has perpetrated on addiction services throughout Vancouver Island. Unfortunately it had to happen with the resignation of Dr. Anthony Barale. I'm surprised it has taken this long for the health authority to begin seeing its narrow-viewed approach to addiction services failing. The authority's move to amalgamate addiction services with mental health services marked the beginning of the end. Watered-down addiction services, addiction specialists being replaced by mental-health workers with little addiction training and the slow but inevitable elimination of community prevention services are only a few examples of the chaos that has been created. More and more experienced people are leaving the health authority, as I did four years ago, because it cares little about the people it is supposed to be serving or its staff. After 10 fulfilling years in addiction services I chose to leave because the agency that I was working at, which had a 30-year history in offering the community addiction services, was closed by the health authority in favor of merging all out-patient addiction services into one giant organization centred in the downtown core. Addiction services, after being merged with mental health, has lost its identity and focus. Look to our neighbouring provinces and you will see addiction services delivered by a provincial agency with concrete goals and necessary policy development divisions. The solution is simple. Take addiction services out of the health authority structure, redistribute money back to existing community services and let them make the decisions that they know are right for their community. VIHA is too busy dealing with its bottom line, budget deficits and shuffling management staff to notice the distress it's causing in the community. Andre Serzisko, Former VIHA employee, Victoria. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman