ADDICTS FORCED TO LEAVE FOR DETOX

Some Go To Rural Areas Because Of Metro Bed Shortage

Metro Addicts Are Desperate For Detox Beds.

There are waiting times of up to a week for 15 beds - six for women - that
help people kick alcohol, cocaine or opiate addiction. The centre serves the
384,000 residents of metro, and Windsor and Hants County residents.

"You can imagine there's quite a demand for those beds," said Tom Payette,
the Central regional health board drug dependency services director.

"Just a simple doubling of beds would probably assist somewhat, but would
probably not deal with the whole problem."

`This Town Is A Joke'

Brian Lomax, a 51-year-old Dartmouth man whose wife reverted to her cocaine
addiction two months ago, is livid at the lack of resources.

"This town is a joke," said Lomax. He said his wife, who suffers paranoid
schizophrenia, tried to get into detox in late October, but was told there
was a six-day wait. After four days, she gave up.

"She wanted to go on detox. She wanted to go on a 20-day program. That's a
fact," said Lomax, his voice cracking. He said he recently lost contact with
her for eight days. Lomax only heard about her from a friend who saw her
staggering on a street.

"She's a very courageous, strong woman who's been let down by this system so
bad," he said.

Payette said nurses assess requests and give beds to the most severe cases
or those with the best chance of quitting, such as first-time visitors. They
are monitored for withdrawal symptoms such as seizures or potentially fatal
delirium tremens.

Day programs, introduced five years ago, are relieving some backlog, but bed
demand remains high. Wait times range from one to five days, he said.

Recently, more people are showing up with multiple addictions and problems
such as mental illness, he said.

Buys Bus Tickets

Diane Bailey, program director for the Halifax agency Mainline Needle
Exchange, said her organization regularly buys bus tickets so clients can
get to available detox beds when there isn't room in Dartmouth.

Last week, Mainline agreed to pay a man's $54 return bus fare to a
Springhill detox bed.

Krista Burrill, a Health Department spokeswoman, said there are about 96
beds provincewide. Most are outside Halifax because of the greater distance
rural clients travel.

"It's not always possible for that person to come and stay for the day (for
treatment) and return," she said.

She said the department is aware metro residents are travelling out of
Halifax for treatment, but didn't know how often that happened. Burrill said
any changes will await the results of a provincewide review looking at
addiction services.