MINISTER STANDS BY KIWANIS DECISION

B.C. Health Minister George Abbott stands by Interior Health's
decision not to fund Kiwanis House's residential treatment program for
people with drug or alcohol addictions.

Speaking from New Zealand Wednesday, Abbott told The Daily News the
health authority has looked carefully at what addiction services it
needs locally in Kamloops as well as regionally.

"I'm advised they have 53 addictions treatment beds in Kamloops, which
is 12 more than one year ago," he said.

Last week, Kiwanis House executive director Murphy Kennedy announced
the 37-year-old facility's 15 staff had been given layoff notices. The
residential treatment centre is $400,000 in debt and a switch from
publicly funded beds to private pay didn't have enough time to get off
the ground.

Interior Health did ask Kiwanis if it was interested in putting in a
proposal for a contract for supportive housing beds, but that was
rejected because it was a downgrade from the current treatment program
being offered.

Instead, that contract has seen New Life Mission and House of Ruth
offer 30 longer-term recovery beds, as opposed to Kiwanis' 33-day
intensive therapy program. But Abbott was clear he won't step in to
save Kiwanis.

"I am supportive of the leadership which has been taken by Interior
Health on this issue. I have reviewed the file on this. I have
discussed the issue with the MLAs. I have discussed it with officials
at Interior Health and I believe the right course of action has been
taken. So I won't be intervening with respect to this. I think IH has
made a decision and I support that decision," he said.

"Nothing's going to change in the short-term here."

Abbott said he would be willing to talk to representatives from
Kiwanis House.

"I'm sure Kiwanis House has made an impact in lots of people's lives
over time. The question here is not whether Kiwanis House lives or
doesn't live. It's about what Interior Health believes they need to
have successful addiction programs and where they believe they can
most effectively use the addiction dollars they have."

While Kiwanis is based on an abstinence model that sees clients leave
the program if they use drugs or alcohol during treatment, there is a
move within addictions services toward a harm-reduction model that
allows re-entry to programs even with lapses.

The loss of Kiwanis House, which graduates its last clients today,
leaves the nearest residential treatment program at Crossroads in
Kelowna where a harm-reduction approach is followed.

"Interior Health have looked at that question carefully. They have
concluded a harm-reduction model is most effective for our region,"
said Abbott.

The minister said addictions services are always evolving and he
expected the current configuration won't be the last. There are strong
views on both sides - harm reduction and abstinence, he said.