PICTURE BUTTE TABBED FOR YOUTH DETOX PROGRAM BEDS

Picture Butte along with other provincial communities will be getting
a little extra support for those dealing with drug and alcohol abuse
problems.

The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) is adding more
staff, youth treatment beds and a new program to support the
Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act (PChAD) that will be taking
effect July 1.

There will be 20 new beds in communities like Red Deer, Grand
Prairie, Calgary, Edmonton and neighbouring Picture Butte.

The program aims to help youth and their parents or guardians to
better deal with drug abuse when the child is either unable or
unwilling to seek help.

Under new legislation, the parent or guardian of a child who is
abusing drugs in a way deemed severe or endangers the youth can apply
to provincial court to have the child placed in a protective safe
house for up to five days. AADAC can then provide detoxification
services, asses the drugs and alcohol abuse and work with both the
child and the parent to develop a voluntary treatment plan.

By spring of 2007, AADAC is set to implement another 24 beds for
voluntary youth detox and treatment. That will bring the number of
beds to 68. In addition to the beds, another 24 front-line staff will
be brought in including 10 mobile addictions staff.

Each year there are an estimated 30,000 clients who utilize the
services and 90,000 people attend prevention activities or receive
information from AADAC.

The support will help PChAD implement its program development which
includes helping minors who are addicted to drugs and cannot help
themselves. It also aims to provide an avenue for parents to help
their children when all other options for intervention and voluntary
treatment have failed.