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Funding means better care for opioid addicts by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver 5 | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com With the official launch of the new Opioid Outreach and Treatment Services plan locally last week, those seeking help for opioid addiction should find better access to care. An opioid is a narcotic that relieves pain and while heroin is an opioid, so is OxyContin given out by prescription. Funded by the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), the plan brings together clinicians from four agencies ­ Halton Alcohol, Drug and Gambling Assessment Prevention and Treatment Services (ADAPT), The Peel Addiction Assessment and Referral Centre (PAARC), Hope Place Centres and The Salvation Army. The groups will offer a wide-range of services across Mississauga and Halton. Though the official launch of the Opioid Outreach and Treatment Services program was Thursday, it has been available since last spring. The new initiative provides direct client services, common care pathways and specialized services to opioid users and those close to them. It also provides specialized services to women who are pregnant and/or parenting children aged six years or younger. A one-day educational symposium was ADAPT CEO Ian Stewart discusses the new Opioid Outreach and Treatment Services initiative at a one-day symposium on Nov. 28 at the Holiday Inn Oakville. The plan is funded by the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). | photo by Nathan Howes ­ special to the Beaver held in Oakville Nov. 28 to introduce the partnership and initiative. It featured numerous guest speakers including ADAPT CEO Ian Stewart. "This is a population that has been overlooked for treatment by funding. As a result, services for people with opioid problems have been very scarce. Funding was never there to provide service to the extent it was required," said Stewart. "Without the funding in place, a host of social costs, economic costs and health-system costs can develop that total millions of dollars. "Clients will be able to make changes, resolve problems, improve the quality of their lives and improve their ability to participate in the community," he added. The Mississauga Halton LHIN contributed $1.5 million to the outreach and treatment program first announced in 2012. The cash is part of a near-$9-million investment for new and expanded community health services targeted at local health-care needs. While opioid is a narcotic developed to relieve pain, Stewart said it can have a "euphoric effect" on users, depending on the dosage. "It's very addictive from the strength of the substance. Tolerance is developed over time so (the rate of) using it to get the same affect can be very high. Heroin is the street drug most commonly associated with opioid problems," said Stewart. "OxyContin is also commonly misused and very addictive." He also noted there is a risk of "unnecessary death or premature death" due to accidental overdose. see Treatment on p.7 White Oaks' ALP/IB application deadline is December 6th 2013 Applications can be downloaded at: CONTEMPORARY QUALITY HOME FURNITURE - LEATHER/FABRIC SOFA SETS - BEDROOM SETS MATTRESSES & BOX SPRINGS - DINING/PUB SETS - COFFEE TABLES/SOFA TABLES FRAMED ARTWORK - SPORTS MEMORABILIA - HOME DECOR ITEMS - GIFT ITEMS - ACCESSORIES www.wossweb.com/ib.html For any questions or for more information please contact: Erin Davidson IB Coordinator davidsone@hdsb.ca 905 845 5200 x 233 White Oaks has Oakville's largest IB Diploma Program! TERMS & CONDITIONS: PAYMENTS - CASH, VISA, M/C OR DEBIT. BUYERS PREMIUM APPLIES. PRODUCTS MAY DIFFER FROM PICTURES ILLUSTRATIONS AS SHOWN AND DESCRIBED. ITEMS SUBJECT TO ADDITIONS & DELETIONS. ADDITIONAL TERMS & CONDITIONS AS POSTED AND ANNOUNCED.