METH TASK FORCE LOOKS AT PROPOSED FORMAL STRUCTURE

In light of the $1 million in provincial funding heading their way,
the Perth County Meth Task Force is seeing fit to create a formal
structure in which to identify areas of concern and properly allocate
funds for different projects. Members of the Task Force got their
first look at what the structure might look like at their April 19
meeting in Stratford.

A presentation was made to the Task Force members by Tim Cronsberry,
public manager of communicable disease for the Perth District Health
Unit, who had been working on developing the structure for the
previous two weeks.

"We want to make sure that this money is used in the best possible way
in Perth County," Cronsberry said in a separate interview after the
meeting. "The pieces existed before, but with a budget of $1 million,
the need for a formal structure is even greater."

"I think we all want to get the most mileage out of this gift the
province gave us," he added.

The $1 million from the province was announced last month as part of
the provincial budget.

Under the current structure, a number of working groups had been
developed within the Task Force, comprised of Task Force members, to
address areas of combating meth in Perth County. Cronsberry is
suggesting the addition of two new working groups, including one
focused on harm reduction.

"There's an issue of meth labs and remediation of those properties,
and the issues medical and EMS personnel face in those places, and
they didn't fit in any category," he explained as to the need for a
sixth working group.

If the proposed structure remains the same, the Task Force would
include six working groups in the areas of prevention, health
protection, harm reduction, enforcement, treatment and research.

The largest change to the structure, however, is in the way the Task
Force would allocate funds. Cronsberry has suggested since "There is a
whole lot more projects than there is money," there be a steering
committee, which would review funding proposals from the working
groups and have the final say on which projects receive funding, and
which ones don't.

Cronsberry suggested the steering committee be comprised of chairs
from each of the six working groups, the Task Force co-chairs, the
executive director of Choices for Change, the chief of the Stratford
Police and an outside paid coordinator.

"The $1 million would be vetted by the steering committee," said
Cronsberry.

"They will look at the bigger picture and have an overall vision of
the goals of each of the Task Forces and be better to say yes or no to
projects," he added, explaining further that since the standing
committee would have an overall view of each of the working groups,
that they would also have the capability to integrate projects and
funding when possible.

Cronsberry said the steering committee would base their decisions on
proposals on two things: sustainability and evidence of effectiveness,
based on other studies and projects across the country.

Cronsberry also noted that it would be important to review each of the
projects the $1 million is used to fund so that they have evaluations
to show the province if down the road they ask to see how their money
has been spent.

Cronsberry also circulated a chart with each of the working groups
which identified some of the gaps that currently exist in how the Task
Force is addressing meth in the county. The chart used information
from reports from other provinces as well as a survey conducted within
the Task Force last year.

Each working group is being asked over the next couple of weeks to
identify to Cronsberry the priorities of their different groups.

Cronsberry said he expects the structure to be approved or any changes
made at the Task Force's next meeting May 17.