Pubdate: Wed, 08 Aug 2012
Source: Alberni Valley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Alberni Valley Times
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouverisland/albernivalleytimes/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4043
Author: Julie Bertrand

TREATMENT CENTRE OFFERS NEW START

Kackaamin gives homes broken apart by substance abuse a chance to heal
and move forward in life

It's hard to believe when you first arrive at the Kackaamin Family
Development Centre that it is a treatment facility for people
struggling with substance abuse.

The small campus is maintained in a pristine way, with flowers and
cheerful murals everywhere. Near the kindergarten and the schoolroom,
children can be heard laughing and having fun. Across the path, their
parents meet with counsellors in quiet and cool rooms to talk about
their dependency problems.

Kackaamin is the longest-established family treatment centre in Canada
and the only one of three in the country. It has a strong focus on
members of First Nations communities.

Through counselling and sessions involving the spouses and children,
the centre aims to educate about addiction, communication and trust at
every level. Most importantly, it helps alcoholics and addicts become
contributing members of society again.

"I think the people that come here and leave here really do a lot of
good back in their own community," said Sadie Greenaway, Kackaamin
Family Development Centre executive director.

However, not everything is picture perfect at the centre. While
Kackaamin has enough beds for 86 adults and children, it can treat 45,
at the most. The centre holds seven six-week sessions per year, and
there is a waiting list for every session.

"Clients come from this area, as well as all over B.C.," Greenaway
said. "Sometimes, we have some from the Yukon and as far away as
Alberta and Saskatchewan."

The centre is chronically underfunded. Its operational funding from
the Vancouver Island Health Authority has not increased since 1996.
Small funding increases from Health Canada and irregular grants help
keep the centre open.

Greenaway believes that the centre's funding situation is due to its
rural location far way from the big cities.

"I think maybe that if we were in downtown Victoria, they might
increase [the funding]," she said. "I think we have been out of sight,
out of mind for so long. As long as we are operating and sending
reports when they need to be sent in, it's OK."

Still, the centre has come a long way since its informal beginning in
1974 on Meares Island.

"It was after the residential school closed and some of the elders
from the community, as well as some of the church people that were
still there, got together and discussed what could be done with the
old site," Greenaway said.

"The First Nations people that were involved decided that they wanted
to have some place for families to go to that were having problems
with alcohol."

In 1984, the building burned down. Six weeks later, the centre
reopened at an old logging camp the community helped set up.

In 2008, Kackaamin received funding from various sources to buy the
former Beaver Creek Elementary School, which had been vacant for a few
years.

"The four buildings that were here were exactly what we needed to
operate our program," Greenaway said.

After extensive renovations and remodeling, the centre had its grand
opening at the new location in November 2010.

"It's been a real transition for all of us, not just being in Port
Alberni, but the way we do things," Greenaway said. "We have access to
more organizations in the community."

VIHA nutritionists and dental health technicians make regular visits
to check on patients.

While the patients are undergoing addiction counselling during the
day, they are still responsible for supervising their children,
preparing meals and taking care of their lodging units at the centre.

Once the clients leave, Kackaamin keeps in touch with them for up to
two years.

Greenaway said the centre is successful when it comes to harm
reduction.

"I look at it as if a family comes in here and when they go home, the
kids don't go into care, Mom gets a job and Dad goes to school," she
said. "They may go out one night through the whole year and have a few
drinks, but it's still a success."
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MAP posted-by: Matt