NEW GROUP TO BRING HELP TO ADDICTS

Welcoming Addicts "'With Open Arms"

A new committee tackling drug abuse in the Tri-County area aims to
offer an increased dose of preventative assistance to addicts in this region.

"A lot of these people are not always well treated within the
health-care system," Jennifer Adams, co-chairman of the Community
Harm Reduction Steering Committee told an education forum held at the
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit office in
Brockville. "We welcome them with open arms."

The committee was formed in March by the health unit to discuss
reducing the various harms associated with intravenous drug use. The
group includes members of TriCounty Addictions Services (TCAS),
HIV/AIDS Regional Services (HARS), law enforcement personnel and
other community agencies.

Adams, a public health nurse with the health unit, began the Tuesday
night forum with an eye-opening presentation on the health unit's
needle exchange program, Clean Works.

The Clean Works program is a four-component system in which the
health unit offers drug education, health-care referrals, needle
exchange and various counselling services to addicts in the Tri-County area.

Adams said 36 of the 37 health units in Ontario currently offer some
form of needle exchange program, with the lone holdout, Huron County,
set to follow suit in the near future. There are an estimated 41,000
intravenous drug users in Ontario, Adams said, and most experts
consider the real figure to be much higher given the difficulty in
tracking them.

With incidence of HIV and hepatitis C still rising among injection
drug users, Adams said the cost of providing them with harm reduction
tools such as clean needles and condoms is much lower, with it
costing an estimated $150,000 to treat a person with HIV for a
lifetime versus $2 to provide him or her with clean supplies.

Clean Works began in 2005. In 2010, Adams said, there were 382 total
visits to its sites, with more than 71,000 needles being given out
and just under 33,000 coming back.

There are currently six active sites in the health unit's
jurisdiction that offer the exchange service, Adams said, as well as
three community sites -- the Pharmasave in Gananoque, the Smiths
Falls Methadone Clinic and the Shoppers Drug Mart in Kemptville.

But the program is about far more than just dispensing clean needles,
Adams said.

"Probably the biggest thing we do is dealing with everyday problems,"
she said, listing food security, access to affordable shelter and
navigating the legal system as some of the addicts' most common
problems with which the program helps.

Lest anyone have preconceived notions about the people the program
serves, Adams also said residents from a whole range of
socio-economic backgrounds are coming through its doors.

"We have a range of clientele," she said. "Some are stereotypical but
some are coming in wearing business suits."

And, alarmingly, the program has recently experienced what Adams
deems an "upswing" in teenagers and young adults between the ages of
17 and 23. These clients also do not fit the old stereotypes, Adams
said, noting they are generally well-dressed and not known to be
involved in any type of street activity.

Adams said clients of the Clean Works program are issued a special
card, and an agreement with the Brockville Police Service has been
reached in which users bringing their used supplies to the health
unit will not be detained by officers should they be stopped en
route, as long as they do not have any illegal drugs in their
possession or warrants out for their arrest.

Clients are required register for the program but do not need
referrals. The program currently only registers clients in Brockville
and Smiths Falls, Adams said, with about 30 signed up at this point.
She said it is important to note that each registered user is
believed to be supplying materials to at least five other users,
meaning the number is more likely in the range of 150.

Those signing up for the program do not have to give their real name,
Adams said, although most do. She said many are willing to share
personal information that helps the health unit, such as their age,
postal code and which drugs they are using.

This information is useful to the program, as it helps track where
drug activity is spreading, as well as establishing a trust between
the program staff and the clients, Adams said.

There is plenty of work left to do to create better conditions for
the Clean Works program to better assist its clientele, Adams said.
One large problem is that the agreement with Brockville Police is the
only one currently in place. Adams said this means that users in
rural communities transporting their used materials -- which is
illegal -- can still be detained by other police forces.

John MacTavish, executive director of HIV/AIDS Regional Services,
said his organization still faces some barriers in its efforts as
well. The organization has been doing this type of work --
distributing clean needles, condoms and other materials -- for more
than 15 years. He said it troubles him that providing users with
supplies tends to meet a lot of moral objections from some factions
when it is an affordable and practical way to keep users safe.

"It's the best tool," he told The Recorder and Times. "They pick the
kits up and there's everything in them."

MacTavish said the kits include phone numbers for local drug
addiction services and other counselling services, something that
helps get the word out to users that there are treatment services
available to help them right in their own backyard.

"We need people to realize what is available in their communities,"
he said. "No one organization can do this alone; it takes all of us
working together."

Adams shared similar thoughts, noting the ultimate aim of the Clean
Works program is to stabilize drug users and keep them safe until
such time as they are ready to enter treatment.

"We need to protect people as best we can until we can get them into
treatment," she said.

Also presenting at Tuesday's forum were Kate Johnston, clinic
coordinator for Change Health Care Inc., who shared information about
her organization's methadone program; and Tri- County Addictions
Services health promoter Sara Hammel, who shared information on
effective addiction drinking strategies and Canada's new low-risk
drinking guidelines.

For more information on the Community Harm Reduction Steering
Committee, visit http://www.healthunit.org/harmreduction .