ASSESSING ADDICT SERVICES IS COMPLEX

The Interior Health Authority has extended for six months the contracts of
addictions service providers while a review of their contracts is completed.
Responsibility for addictions services was transferred to the IHA last
April.

The review was to have been completed for late September but health
authority officials say the project was bigger than first thought.

"I would say we were taken by surprise at the complexity of the issue," said
Kim Marshal, director of mental health in the Okanagan health service area.

Marshall said they are advertising for candidates for the position of an
addictions manager who will oversee services throughout the health
authority.

"We're looking for someone with an addictions background who can review the
contracts in light of current best practices and a continuum of care," she
said.

While nothing is official, Marshall said residents can expect a number of
changes to the current system. "What we've heard from people is that not all
our services are in the right place and that it still takes quite awhile to
get into detox. We're also hearing that non-medical detox is as effective
for most people so maybe we need a range of detox services such as home
detox rather than just the medical model."

Marshall said a review of Crossroads Treatment Centre in Rutland, which runs
a medical model detox as well as residential treatment and supportive
recovery programs, will be one of the first. "Does Crossroads give us the
biggest bang for our buck is the question we need to ask."

At $2.2 million, Crossroads receives more than half the $3.4 million
budgeted for addictions services in this health service area, which in turn
takes up over a third of the $10 million spent throughout the Interior
Health Authority.