Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 12/99) - The time for change has been set for Northern Addiction Services adult treatment centre in Dettah, and that time is approaching fast.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Kelvin Ng announced that come March 31 the drug and alcohol addictions program at the centre will cease to exist in its current form.

NAS will not be receiving the funding it was expecting the department to grant on March 31, and instead, has agreed to begin winding down the centre's alcohol and drug treatment program.

"March 31, the annual contribution will not be renewed," said Ng.

Ng said that the centre is scheduled for major program restructuring which will be developed after March 31. Recommendations for the types of programming the centre could offer are to be presented to the department by the end of the month by a working group which has been organized for the purpose. The working group consists of members from all the NWT's regional and community health boards, as well as other bodies including the Tree of Peace, Dene Nation, the Status of Women's Council, and the Salvation Army.

Ng said the working group may submit some suggestions similar to what the various health boards have asked for in the past.

"Children and youth services...gender specific and family programming...are recognized as needs primarily through the (health) boards who do the referrals," said Ng.

Ng indicated that the department is not recommending NAS shut down entirely by March 31, but that clients currently receiving treatment at the centre could be referred elsewhere.

"If there were adult clients then they could be referred to other centres," said Ng. "Even after March 31 it might come out that there is still going to be adult programming. There's no doubt there will be restructuring (regardless of remaining adult programming)."

The safety of the existing clients is a concern for the department which is providing funding to increase staff in order to ensure clients residing in the centre's separate male and female quarters are safe.

Ng said that the decision to increase staffing was influenced by a complaint filed by the Yellowknife Women's Centre earlier last month. Concerns about sexual relationships and sexual harassment of female clients were outlined in the complaint.