Pubdate: Wed, 07 Feb 2007
Source: Ingersoll Times (CN ON)
Copyright: 2007 Annex Publishing & Printing Inc.
Contact:  http://ingersolltimes.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2387
Author: John Tapley, Sun Media
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

DRUG TASK FORCE HIRES CONSULTANT

Looking to develop new addiction programming and services and enhance 
those that already exist, Oxford County's drug task force has hired a 
consultant to help assess needs, develop strategy and access funding.

Formed eight months ago, the task force is a collaboration of 
community agencies. It grew out of an inter-ministerial and cross 
sector justice committee convened to educate and mobilize the 
community in crime prevention and building a safer community.

The task force has received a total of $22,000 in start up funding 
from the United Way of Oxford, the Oxford Small Business Support 
Centre, the Town of Ingersoll and the City of Woodstock. It's 
spending about $18,000 on a consultant to determine where it should 
focus its efforts.

On Tuesday, about 25 people, including politicians, educators, 
healthcare workers, Children's Aid Society representatives and 
police, turned out for a consultant information session at the Fusion 
Youth Centre in Ingersoll.

"Oxford County is seeing a number of substance abuse and 
addiction-related incidents through various agencies with little 
services and funding available to us to assist those in need," said 
Jason Smith, chair of the task force. "We feel that hiring a 
consultant will provide us with the details funders are looking for 
in funding projects of this kind."

Smith said the consultant is tasked with three main objectives 
including completing a needs assessment for the county, developing a 
strategic plan for the task force and writing funding applications. 
The process is expected to take about six months.

Information will be gathered through interviews with people serving 
clients with substance abuse and addiction problems, focus groups 
with clients and service providers and a survey.

"We will gather data," Smith said. "Hopefully, that way we're going 
to do our best to get it right across Oxford County."

Once the data is gathered and compiled, the consultant will present 
the findings in communities around the county.

In the meantime, the task force is compiling a list of programs and 
services that are available now and distributing it to its members.

There was "great passion and enthusiasm" around the table during 
Tuesday's session, said Linda Sibley, executive director of Addiction 
Services of Thames Valley, who was one of the participants.

Providing substance abuse and problem gambling services for ages 12 
and up since 1985, the agency has the equivalent of 1.25 full-time 
staff in Oxford County and Sibley said the demand far outstrips the resources.

"The problem we have is staffing," she said. "It's a human resource 
issue. We just don't have the staff."

Sibley pointed out that problem gambling is a critical issue among 
youth in Ontario at the moment. The rate of problem gambling among 
youth in the province is three times that of adults, she said.

Oxford is no better or no worse than the rest of the country when it 
comes to drugs, Sibley said.

"There's no greater drug crisis in Oxford County than there is in any 
other area of Canada," she said. "I think if we had four or five 
full-time equivalents (in Oxford) we'd probably be very well served."

Sibley said she supports the efforts of the task force and it is on 
the right track. Coordination among the various agencies and groups 
involved is key, she said.

"We really need to get the paperwork done quickly. We need to 
mobilize. We need to speak to the people with influence at Queen's 
Park," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom