Pubdate: Fri, 10 Sep 2010
Source: Chilliwack Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 Chilliwack Times
Contact:  http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1357
Author: Tyler Olsen

CHEAPER DETOX AHEAD

Health officials say a new detox program may be able to treat as many
drug and alcohol addicts as did the recently closed 10-bed detox unit
at Chilliwack General Hospital, despite costing just as third as much.

Fraser Health has launched a mobile detox and "daytox" program that
will cater to treating addicts with stable home environments. The
program officially kicked off on Aug. 30 and will cost about $300,000
per year. That compares to the $1.3 million cost of the closed detox
unit.

The new program offers daytime monitoring and support from nurses and
doctors either at a patient's home, or through a "daytox" program at
Chilliwack General Hospital.

Those requiring 24-hour care, or without stable homes, will still need
to travel to Surrey for detox. But Sherry Mumford, Fraser Health
Mental Health and Addiction Services' director of clinical programs,
says the program should address a vital need in Chilliwack.

Mumford said the program hopes to serve between 300 and 400 patients
over a 12-month period. That compares to the "400 or so" who were
served by the old unit. And she says the new mobile component provides
a service that was not previously offered.

Mumford hopes the mobile aspect of the detox program--in which nurses
and assistants visit recovering addicts in their homes--will entice
previously underserved communities to enter detox. Those workers will
help administer medicine and liaise with families.

"The goal here is to reach target populations that don't typically go
to an in-patient withdrawal management bed," said Mumford. "For
seniors who are reluctant to leave, don't want to come into a strange
bed, so services for folks like that. We've had tremendous buy-in out
here in the Fraser East from the First Nations, aboriginal
communities."

Mumford also said many of the people who filled the detox beds at the
old unit were users of stimulants (like crack cocaine) who could have
gone through the process in their own homes.

"We want to utilize the beds we have more effectively," she said. For
those with less stable homes, the program will transport such patients
to the detox facility in Surrey and also provide short-term
accommodation for those who have completed detox but who are waiting
for spots in residential treatment programs.

"This model that we have out here is going to do a much better job of
ensuring clients don't fall through the cracks when they finish the
program," said Mumford.

A key component of the program includes the daytox program, which is
sort of an Anti-Addiction 101 course. Participants complete modules,
attend individual and group counselling sessions and learn how to live
without drugs or alcohol.

As for those concerned about whether the detox program can adequately
address the needs of addicts in the Fraser Valley, Mumford asks for
their patience.

"It is one of the most comprehensive home and mobile detox programs in
existence in this province," she said. "I would say to them, give us a
few months and see what we can do . . . let's see who we can provide
services to."

Referrals to the program can be made by prospective patients, family
members, doctors or anybody else at 1-866-795-0600.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake