DRUG TREATMENT CASH WON'T HELP LOCAL CLINICS

Local addiction clinics won't have a shot at new drug treatment money
any time soon.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care announced yesterday a $2
million investment in methadone treatment, but clinics here won't be
seeing any of it.

"We've been running a methadone clinic for years without government
funding. I wish they'd put money into ours," said Greg House,
executive director of Simcoe Outreach Services in Barrie. "What they
(the Ministry) are doing is commendable, but the funds are aimed at
recruiting doctors to prescribe treatment in places that don't have
doctors or clinics.

"We already have a physician here, and we also provide counselling
here, which (the Ministry) isn't increasing funding for," he added.
"To my knowledge, there's just no money coming for our services."

Health minister George Smitherman made the announcement to improve
treatment for people with opioid addictions. Of the $2 million
promised, $1 million will be allocated to recruit more doctors to
prescribe methadone and other treatments and to expand CAMH's role as
a provincial resource providing training and professional support for
nurses, counsellors and pharmacists.

Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) welcomed this news.

"CAMH and other treatment centres offer Methadone Maintenance
Treatment programs due to the success of this type of drug treatment
strategy and most importantly, demand by those in need of this
service," said Judith Tompkins, executive vice-president of programs
and chief of nursing practice and professional services at CAMH.

Methadone maintenance has been shown to be an effective way to treat
people who are challenged with opioid addictions.

Research also tells us that it reduces the risk of overdose as well
as the risk of HIV and other infection. It also reduces drug-offence
arrests by helping people reduce their use of heroin or other opioids.

"CAMH and other mental health and addiction service providers have
been calling for increased funding of addiction services," said Tompkins.