Pubdate: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 Source: Ottawa Citizen (Canada) Copyright: 1999 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/ Author: Tom Blackwell NUMBER OF ADDICTS SKYROCKETS IN ONTARIO Treatment agencies struggling to keep up, government report says TORONTO -- The number of people needing help for addictions has jumped dramatically in recent years, leaving treatment agencies struggling to keep up, says a newly released Ontario government report. The problems they're seeing are also more complex, says the Ministry of Health study. And more youth, elderly people, women, aboriginals, HIV patients and ethnic minorities are seeking help. The growing demand has resulted in long waiting lists, the study concludes. It calls for merging the patchwork of organizations into a smaller number of centres, modernizing treatment methods and better targeting the needs of specific groups like older people and aboriginals. It also suggests making methadone treatment and needle-exchange programs available to drug addicts across Ontario. "Addiction treatment services are facing unprecedented pressures," says the 55-page report, called Setting the Course. "Faced with all these pressures, Ontario's small, single-focus programs are hard-pressed to keep pace. ... Agencies are struggling to meet these demands." The report, designed as a blueprint for changing the system, has been distributed to agencies and the province's district health councils. They'll report back with local reaction before the province goes ahead with the overhaul, said Barry Wilson, a spokesman for Health Minister Elizabeth Witmer. The government won't decide whether to increase spending on drug and alcohol treatment beyond the current $117 million until it hears from the organizations, he said. According to the report, agencies treated more than 75,000 people for drug and alcohol addictions in 1991-92, the most recent year for which figures are available. That's more than triple the 29,000 who were helped in 1979-80. It doesn't indicate any reasons for the increase. The problems have also become more complex. Agencies that used to deal chiefly with alcoholism now have to treat addiction to prescription drugs, illegal drugs, solvents and gambling, the report says. But there's often little co-ordination between agencies now, meaning that addicts have to go from door to door to find the treatment they need. They also undergo frequent, lengthy assessments at the various agencies. "Some clients have the sense that they are continually being assessed, but never helped," says the document. "Many become frustrated and discouraged and stop knocking (on doors)." About 10 per cent of adults over 55 have a drug abuse problem and up to 12 per cent have an alcohol problem, it says. Aging-related changes to the body make them more sensitive to the effects of substances, it says. The study recommends fewer and less exhaustive assessments of addicts. It also urges several improvements to the way abuse problems are treated, including more use of programs that reduce the harm from addictions, but don't actually get people off drugs. For instance, it says needle-exchange programs should be available everywhere in the province. The report also notes that a large percentage of people with acquired brain injuries have substance abuse histories, since alcohol and drugs are a factor in many of the accidents leading to brain injury. It recommends a network of regional bodies to manage and co-ordinate treatment agencies, and mergers among individual organizations where possible. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck