DRUG, ALCOHOL SERVICES "FRAGMENTED" IN P.G.

The region's drug and alcohol services are disjointed, there's not enough
long-term support with jobs or housing and professionals need more education
on substance abuse, a community task force has found. There's a need for
more counselling, flexible hours and increased treatment for women and young
people, the task force concluded.

The task force -- formed under the Prince George Community Advisory
Committee -- delivered its report to the Northern Interior Regional Health
Board Wednesday.The board has turned the report over to administration and
plans to have a response at its October public meeting.

The task force, which took a year putting together the 32-page report,
implored the board not to ignore its recommendations.

Close to $3 million is spent on addiction services in the Northern Interior
each year."There an abundance of services, but they're very fragmented --
that came through very clear," task force chair Bob Scott told the board.
"All we need to do is get along. . . . We are all on the same side."

The task force outlined four priority areas, leading with treatment.

Other priorities identified were aftercare, prevention and marketing, said
the report. It's recommendations included:

- - Make detox less abstract and general by enhancing the link to post-care
groups and the recovery community.

- - Explore alternative methods of detoxing with homes-supported detox,
acupuncture and diet.

- - Physicians should be better informed on treatment and resources.

- - Investigate ways to create and implement job placement for those returning
from treatment.

- - Explore need for a multi-service facility that could provide low-cost
meals, networking, skill development for the recovering addict/alcoholic.-
Investigate ways to support schools in a consistent and creative way.

- - Explore methods of creative marketing that fits with the millennium and
the seriousness of the problem, utilizing kiosks, phone booths, wall
paintings, hot-dog wagons, web-site and ice-cream carts.

The task force also recommended that another group be created to continue
sharing ideas to help bring together fragmented services.