Pubdate: Mon, 18 May 2009 Source: Advertiser (CN NF) Page: 8 Copyright: 2009 Advertiser Contact: http://www.gfwadvertiser.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3453 Author: Jackie Thompson RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOUTH TREATMENT CENTRE Dear Editor: Wherever the Youth Addictions Centre is placed, individuals will have to travel. Does it not make more sense to have the services centrally located to make access more readily available to clients and their family members? Would travel to Grand Falls-Windsor from the western or northern parts of the island not be easier and cheaper than having to travel to the Avalon? Grand Falls-Windsor is a centrally located service area for the island part of Newfoundland. The Exploits Region offers many amenities and is attractive to professionals as it is a wonderful area in which to bring up a young family. Not everyone wants to reside on the Avalon. We need to enhance the already existing professionals and facilities that are currently in central. We, as service providers, know full well that central has a high percentage of drug use and violence amongst young people. With the recent economic downturn, we anticipate an increase in the need for stress-related services to all families. Presently the closest inpatient program for youth is Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Often the youth who require the services that are only available in St. John's, find the travel too much of an obstacle and therefore they aren't part of the statistics that are being quoted on Avalon. The aboriginal youth of our area deserve treatment facilities closer to home. Recently, many of the professionals in our area received training given by the Janeway. Psychologists here started the team approach to mental illness by involving social workers and other partners when dealing with crisis situations and therefore the existing medical services in the Grand Falls-Windsor area are not as congested as those in St. John's. We have four CYN Centres in our area and the Youth Addictions Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor would provide a great opportunity to broaden existing services. It is a known fact that there are many homeless youth in our central region, couch surfing as they drift between the homes of friends. Affordable housing for youth might be another service that could be placed in Grand Falls-Windsor to be a supportive service for the Youth Addictions Centre. Status of Women Central is a feminist, equality-seeking organization dedicated to the empowerment of women through advocacy, education, provision of services, implementation of special projects and direct lobbying on issues critical to the advancement of women's equality and inclusion. The members of Status of Women Central strongly support the building of the Youth Addictions Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor. Jackie Thompson Regional Co-ordinator Status of Women Central Grand Falls-Windsor - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom