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Nechako Treatment Centre Shut Down Unfortunate says Director

By 250 News

Thursday, July 24, 2008 03:40 PM

Prince George, B.C. - The closure of the Nechako Treatment centre, the only residential treatment centre under the wing of Northern Health, is “unfortunate” says Jim Campbell, the Regional Director of Addiction Services.
 
He says the shut down is “primarily” for the summer, but he can’t say when the four week live in treatment program will resume. “We are trying to recruit staff now” says Campbell.
 
The CBC reported earlier today that the 10 bed centre’s closure for the summer is due to a staff shortage. 
 
The 4 week program requires there be two staff members on site 24/7. Normally the program can operate with o9 employees, but they are down to just 4 because of summer holidays and unexpected  medical leaves. Campbell told Opinion250  the program cannot be run “safely” with such low staff numbers.
 
Cambell says the  program is not an urgent service as the people seeking treatment have already attended the detox program and have had some counseling “They are further down into the system.”
The closure came on July 4th, and Campbell says it impacted 10 people who were waiting to enter the program “We spoke with each person’s addiction counselor and alternate treatment was found either in their home community or in the support recovery beds at the hospital.”
 
The Nechako Centre needs at least six staff members to operate. There are other programs available, but they do not require the clients to live in the centre during the course of treatment. The non residential withdrawal unit and the Nechako Youth unit remain open.
 
Acting Mayor Don Zurowski says he is disappointed to hear of the closure “Prince George is the retail centre for the north, the education centre, service centre and the health care centre for the north and there are people in need of this service.” He urged Northern Health to try and work with Initiatives Prince George to recruit and retain the professionals needed to keep the centre operating.
 


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Comments

This is the response the BC Liberals give after hearing we are getting a few billion in revenue from gas sales and we have a record budget surplus. I guess Pat Bell would say, "This is how we do business in BC."
They shut it down because of a shortage of staff. Why does this make it a Liberal problem. These jobs pay good money,,however it appears no one wants the jobs.
If nobody wants the jobs, there's nothing anybody can do.
Or, there are not enough counselors being trained in the colleges and universities.

As they have been the government for nearly eight years, it is a Liberal problem. These shortages of health care workers are not anything new. It has been the case for a long time, but despite that, the Liberal Government cut back on staffing budgets and forced the layoff of many hospital employees. Now they don't have enough and can't hire replacements. Well, what a surprise.

They were warned about this publicly by all three health care unions, but the union warnings were pooh poohed, you know, the "only out for themselves" garbage. Now the chickens come home to roost and patients suffer, again.
Bottom line is nobody applies for the job.
I don't blame liberals, I blame the unions.
More money, more money, we want more money.........
same story everywhere....health care, car manufacturers,
sawmills, pulpmills. Canada is getting way out of line with high wages. We can't go on like this.
Pretty soon there are no jobs to be found in this country.
We are becoming a country of whiners, bitchers and complainers.
HD said, "I don't blame liberals, I blame the unions.
HD said, "More money, more money, we want more money.........
same story everywhere...health care, car manufacturers,
sawmills, pulp-mills. Canada is getting way out of line with high wages. We can't go on like this."
Firstly unions would not exist if workers were treated fairly. Workers have been victimized for centuries and many lives were lost due to poor working conditions. They finally enough they organized. Many lives were lost again in this struggle. But the workers knew they had nothing to lose and they persisted.
As far as high wages go, look at the raise the BC Liberals gave themselves. Look at the wages and benefits the CEO's of crown corporations and presidents of universities get from their BC Liberal friends. That is where the injustice lies in this province. But as Pat Bell says, "That's the way business is done in BC."

Well you can keep bashing the liberals as much as you want.
Fact is this country is pricing itself out of the worldmarket.
Factories are moving outside our borders.

Don't be fooled in thinking the NDP will change all of that, because they will not.
They will make things even worse.
Specially with Carol what's her name in charge.
Nechako treatment center? Do like they do for Coal Bed methane water, put them in ponds and let the sun dry them out.

I know a few people that do that kind of work and it is a disappointing job. The customers are the same bunch of loosers all the time telling the same stupid lies and looking for sympathy and someone to cry on so they can feel getting hammered is the fault of someone else. Bunch of loosers. The money should be turned over to the church and let them deal with the problem. Let them lie to God.
Yeah organized religion is the answer. NOT!