LINEUPS LONGER FOR TREATMENT OF DRUG ABUSE

Three-Day Wait Grows To Four Weeks

Wait lists at two Winnipeg drug treatment centres have more than
doubled over the past year.

John Borody, executive director of the Addictions Foundation of
Manitoba, said addicts seeking treatment at its male and female
residential substance abuse centres have experienced significantly
longer delays.

"Without a doubt we believe they have grown because of an increase in
public awareness of substance addiction that has led to an increase in
demand," Borody said.

According to information the AFM provided for a freedom of information
request made by Tory justice critic, Kelvin Goertzen, the wait time at
the AFM's 28-bed James Toal centre on Portage Avenue has increased
from four weeks in January, 2005 to nine weeks in January, 2006. The
wait to get in to the three week treatment program at the AFM's
12--bed female centre, River House, has grown from three days a year
ago to four weeks.

Goertzen said the lengthy waits calls into question the province's
ability to deal with people who come forward seeking help.

"Four weeks is a life time for people who need help," Goertzen said.
"To say to come back in a few weeks in not acceptable. There are
definite resource issues in the province."

Borody said the AFM is working hard at better managing the patient
backlog for its residential drug and alcohol treatment programs.

Among other things he said it is taking into account the relative
frequency of people who register for treatment and then fail to show
up. In some cases the AFM is now double booking in anticipation of
some no-shows but still the wait lists are getting longer.

Theresa Oswald, the minister responsible for healthy living, said
those kinds of delays in the health care system are a concern to the
government.

"We know that wait lists exist in the system and there are
improvements that ought to be made," she said. "Perhaps moving towards
a centralized assessment and intake system might be helpful. We are
looking closely at that."

There are 10 residential treatment centres around the province and 350
beds. In addition to the two in Winnipeg, the AFM also operates
centres in Brandon, Ste. Rose and Thompson.