MLA CALLS FOR TEAM EFFORT

Health System Gears Up for Meth Addiction

While a growing number of families struggle with crystal meth addiction,
government agencies are scrambling to co-ordinate prevention and treatment
strategies.

"These patients are much more psychotic, they're sicker, they're more
aggressive. [Emergency units] tend to see them and they tend to end up in
secure treatment," said Dr. Patrick J. White, Capital Health's regional
clinical program director for psychiatry.

White also works on the front lines with beds at Alberta Hospital. He says
he and his colleagues have seen the problem boom in the last two to three
years, with patients coming from across the region. The Royal Alexandra
Hospital saw 4,500 psychiatric assessments last year, while other hospitals
in the region had between 2,500 and 3,500 assessments. A significant number
of those assessments, up to 60 per cent, also identify substance abuse
problems.

The combination of mental health issues and substance abuse calls for a
concerted effort between emergency and internal medical professions, as
well as psychiatry and mental health, White said.

"I see patients quite frequently from St. Albert with these problems," he
said. "In my own clinical experience they tend to be younger patients in
the 18-22 age group, which is a huge concern ... you have a significant
number of patients developing chronic, psychotic, or psychiatric symptoms.
That has huge implications for treatment services."

Solutions are being devised in an AADAC review of services requested by the
Alberta Mental Health Board and through the co-ordinated efforts of Capital
Health and the police. One of the biggest problems facing these groups lies
in getting patients referred to appropriate treatment. Many are referred
directly from emergency rooms after a psychotic episode, but an unknown
number try to seek help before such a crisis.

One St. Albert mother told of her own difficulties at the "Growing Up in
St. Albert" forum Tuesday.

"As far as I understand there aren't any [treatment services]. I've left
five or six messages with AADAC and never, ever had a call returned," said
the woman, who identified herself only as Carrie. "You can go to Edmonton
or Sherwood Park, but there's nothing here ... It goes beyond just crystal
meth. It's crack cocaine and pot. There's a large amount of parents trying
to help their kids and not getting any support."

St. Albert Liberal MLA Jack Flaherty was at a caucus meeting in Calgary
when the forum was held, but he has heard similar concerns from residents.

"AADAC is not doing the job, if that's the agency that's supposed to be
doing it. We're talking about gaps in service. We're assuming these things
[treatment] are happening and they're not," he said.

He also criticized AADAC for bungling a stop-smoking hotline which has been
giving out incorrect contact information for nicotine cessation treatments
for the past seven months.

Flaherty praised school boards, which have DARE prevention programs and
drug-sniffing dogs in schools, but said those initiatives need to be
scrutinized for their effectiveness and seen as part of a larger program.
He wants the community directly involved in refining access to treatment.

"All these boards are doing their very best and I want to bring their
concerns forward," he said.

Red Deer Conservative MLA Mary-Anne Jablonski is expected to introduce a
private member's bill which would allow youth with severe addictions to be
held in secure treatment. Critics have said the bill will not hold up to a
legal challenge if it is passed. Dr. White wouldn't comment on the merit of
the bill, but said it was a positive development, because it indicates
greater public awareness of the problem and government willingness to deal
with it.