DRUG CENTRE SEEKS FINANCIAL HELP

The operator of a drug treatment centre says attempts to reduce the
two-month wait between detox and her residential recovery program have been
stymied by lack of funding from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

Kathy Oxner, executive director of Pacifica Treatment Centre, said drug
treatment is not being given the special attention and funding currently
being poured into harm reduction measures like needle exchanges and the
Downtown Eastside's Health Contact Centre.

"Harm reduction has been getting most of the publicity lately and there's
certainly a need, but you can't have one pillar without the rest of them
fairly solid," said Oxner, referring to the City of Vancouver's official
four-pillar approach to the city's chronic drug problem: education,
enforcement, harm reduction and treatment.

Pacifica Treatment Centre is one of only two medically based residential
recovery centres operating in the city. The facility has 35 10-week
recovery beds, but only gets funding for 27.

Oxner said health authority funding has not been increased for a decade,
despite increases in the cost of living and wages the centre must pay its
20 unionized employees.

It costs $1.3 million a year to operate the facility, with $850,000 coming
from the health authority and the rest from fundraising activities.

Oxner said two months is too long to wait between leaving Vancouver's one
detox centre and getting a bed in her facility.

"There's a huge risk of relapse once you get out of detox so to be left
waiting for two months before you can get the residential support is just
too much."

To bridge the gap, Oxner is using grant money from the high-tech industry's
B.C. Technology Social Venture Partners to start a day program that
includes counselling in the new year.

Oxner laughed when asked if she considered asking the health authority to
pay for Pacifica's day program.

"They didn't even fund a negotiated increase in wages-I had to cut my costs
instead. That's why we're doing more fundraising than we ever have."

Pacifica's facility at Commercial and 11th Avenue is also leaky and must be
repaired. Oxner is hoping to get the money to pay for that during the
centre's 25th anniversary celebration, which starts tomorrow.

"That we have to rely on fundraising and donations for a health problem
when we are a given performer is frustrating. I guess we aren't very trendy
right now."

Clay Adams, spokesman for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, was not
able to say how much money goes into harm reduction or addictions services
specifically because the authority groups all that funding into mental
health and addictions services.

To support Pacifica, contact 604-872-5517.