LITTLE SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WANTING TO GET OFF THE NEEDLE

While only a handful of people in the province use injection drugs -
573 people in 2005, says the latest research - the lack of support
services to help them get back on their feet just isn't enough.

That's according to Fran Keough, injection drug use co-ordinator for
the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador.

There's only one treatment centre in the province and it's not
specifically geared to rehabilitating people who use injection drugs.

Twenty-one days of rehab at the Humberwood facility in Corner Brook
"just doesn't cut it," says Keough.

Other rehabilitation centres across the country allow six months to a
year for people to recover from injection drug addiction, she notes.

After only three weeks at Humberwood, many Newfoundland and
Labradorians who use injection drugs are just beginning to deal with
the issues when it's time to leave, Keough says.

As well, she continues, community support for those individuals is
sparse. The same goes for them if they leave the province for rehab
and return.

"There's a huge wait list for counselling," Keough
says.

If someone wants to quit today, they'll likely have to wait upwards of
three months to see someone, she adds.

"We lose too many people that way. Often, they can't wait," she
says.

And unless more support becomes available, the problems could get
worst. Over the past year, Keough has noticed an increase in the
number of people who use injection drugs. That could tax an inadequate
system even more.

Keough sees people who use injection drugs through the SWAP Program, a
needle exchange initiative that received provincial funding in May
2005.

"It's not just limited to one type of person," she says.