OUTPATIENT DETOX PROGRAM TO CUT WAITS FOR CARE BEDS

Addicts in the early stages of trying to kick alcohol or drug habits
can now attend an outpatient detox program instead of waiting for one
of Victoria's scarce residential detox beds.

The $240,000 outpatient program comes from the $7.6 million the
Vancouver Island Health Authority pledged for mental health and
addiction services following last year's report from the Mayor's Task
Force on Homelessness.

Victoria has only seven detox beds, and the critical shortage means
people are often turned away when they are ready to quit drugs or
alcohol and are in immediate need of medical supervision.

The next stage in expanding addiction services will be 15 new detox
beds which will open Feb. 1 at Royal Jubilee Hospital, said Alan
Campbell, VIHA director of mental health and addictions.

The combination of the outpatient program and the new detox beds
should be a "huge improvement," he said, but added he does not know
if it will be enough.

"I don't think anyone knows how many beds are needed. We're taking
one step at a time. If there's still a big lineup we will have to ask
for more funding," he said.

Bob McKechnie, project manager for the outpatient service, said there
are now about 35 clients and it will expand on Dec. 1 to seven days a week.

"We are finding some people prefer not to go in for a hospital stay," he said.

Clients meet in a group for about two hours a day for six weeks, a
format which is good for addicts in the earliest stages of recovery,
McKechnie said. They are asked to be sober and clean for the
meetings, even though most are still in the withdrawal process.

"They don't have to be completely clean, just able and willing to be
clear enough to come in," McKechnie said.

Individual counselling, psychiatric assessments and treatments such
as yoga and acupuncture are also offered.

Although the outpatient clinic provides a start, some need more help.

Medical supervision in a detox bed is needed when severe alcoholics
stop drinking, because the shock to the system can be so acute they
develop delirium tremens and there is a risk of death, Campbell said.

The in-patient beds are also used for those trying to withdraw from opiates.

However, medical supervision is not needed for those withdrawing from
stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines, Campbell said.

"As soon as they stop taking them they feel better, but they need
support, counselling and a supportive environment," he said.

The 10-bed stabilization program, without medical supervision, is
designed for those withdrawing from stimulants, he said.

"But, it really is kind of complicated because some people take
pretty much everything," he said.

Anyone needing the new outpatient detox services can apply themselves
or be referred by a counsellor or family doctor.