STREETWORKS FIRST STEP ON ROAD TO RECOVERY

Program Gaining Acceptance Says Local Methadone Clinic Doctor

The huge increase in the number of hypodermic needles distributed to
drug users was "good news," said Dr. Fraser MacKay.

It's a first step on the long road to recovery.

"The door is being opened for care," said MacKay, who recently opened
the Segue Clinic, a methadone clinic at 626 East Main St.

In 2005, the provincially mandated outreach program called
StreetWorks distributed 261,222 sterile needles throughout Niagara.
That's an increase of almost 50,000 needles from a year earlier when
213,607 were given out.

Those figures were included in a report presented earlier this week
at a Niagara Region Public Health and Social Services Committee meeting.

During the presentation, Alan Spencer, from the sexual health program
run by the region's public health department, said the increase is
evident of growing trust in the StreetWorks program rather than an
indication of a growing number of drug users.

"It's good news that there's acceptance of the StreetWorks program
and the people with the issues are feeling comfort in approaching
them," MacKay told The Tribune.

He said the StreetWorks program is a way of building relationships with users.

"And then helping those who are interested to move to the next step
and point them in the right direction," MacKay added.

The next step could be "to detoxification, it maybe to a residential
program (like Newport Centre in Port Colborne), or it maybe to us,"
he said. "There's a number of different paths that can be taken."

For most people, however, he said the path that research has shown to
be most successful is "methadone maintenance with a combination of
addiction counselling."

There are other drugs to help users cope with withdrawal symptoms,
but no other drugs have proven to be as successful. Ultimately,
MacKay said the success the StreetWorks program is having is an
important part of the process to help people recover from their
addiction - regardless of the treatment they receive.

"This is an important avenue to get them involved in access to care," he said.

At the same time, he said the increase in the number of intravenous
users taking advantage of the StreetWorks program is also helping
fulfill the program's primary mandate of reducing the spread of
infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C.

"That's the major benefit - lowering the risk of spreading disease," he said.

The Segue Clinic is located next door to the East Main Pharmacy. the
clinic can be reached at 905-788-3614.