Nechako Treatment Centre to Launch Pilot Project

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 03:59 AM

Prince George, B.C.- There are still challenges facing Northern Health’s Nechako Treatment Centre.

The 28 day residential program for addictions treatment that closed in July is to be replaced by a new 90 day program that did not require clients to “live in”. It had been hoped that program would be up and running by the end of November.

A problem with recruitment has put the new program on hold. Northern Health has been trying to recruit an RN Clinical Leader for the new program, but the first posting for that position failed to identify a suitable candidate. The position has been posted for a second time.

In the meantime, a special pilot program will be launched which will see 10 people receiving special program services just two days a week for the first three weeks of December. These will be people already receiving services in some of the support recovery beds in Prince George.

The ten who will take part in the program have not yet been identified and participation is purely voluntary says Jim Campbell, the Regional Director for Mental Health and Addictions.

The three week pilot project will see existing staff work with the clients who will in turn offer input on the types of things which they think will make the program more successful.

“The information gathered from this pilot project will be incorporated into the new 90 day program” says Campbell.

The new model will mean people will be able to access the program when they are ready and won’t have to wait for the “next” window to open as was the case during the 28 day residential session.

Campbell says during the consultations with people throughout the north, they indicated they would like to see some treatments offered closer to home, and this new model, when it is up and running, will allow that.

Campbell also says the 90 day treatment program is expected to have a higher success rate than the 28 day program.

The Youth programs and detox programs at the Nechako treatment centre remain unchanged.

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Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 03:59 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: lunarguy on November 26 2008 7:45 AM

I bet if we had a Performance Arts Centre there would be no problem attracting the staff ! ( That is meant tongue in cheek people )

Posted by: ammonra on November 26 2008 7:50 AM

Wouldn't a Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) be more appropriate for this position than a Registered Nurse (RN). That is, someone with some specific training for psychiatric based illnesses like addictions.

Posted by: gus on November 26 2008 11:10 AM

�The information gathered from this pilot project will be incorporated into the new 90 day program� says Campbell.

I am assuming that only the information which is thought by experienced staff to have the potential to improve the program would be incorporated.

As far as recruiting goes, superlatives on the northern health site which cannot be backed up with fact don't lend much credibility to the organization.

"The ideal time to live and work in Northern British Columbia is now! The region is benefiting from a major economic boom."

http://www.northernhealth.ca/Careers

There are 20 positions vacant in PG. The one for this program does not jump out at me. How else do they advertise?

Posted by: camoose on November 26 2008 11:44 AM

What's the latest government spin for cutbacks?

Posted by: Lamb on November 26 2008 12:22 PM

Re-inventing the wheel.

Posted by: metalman on November 26 2008 2:09 PM

More of the same government mishandling of a very serious problem. They fool around and tinker with programs and put their bureaucracy and red tape ahead of everything else. Meanwhile, there is a plague of lost, misguided addicts stumbling around making life harder for the hardworking minority (the canadian taxpayer)
metalman.

Posted by: Lamb on November 26 2008 3:40 PM

You are right metalman. They are playing with peoples' lives and our money.

Posted by: MrPG on November 26 2008 4:27 PM

"A problem with recruitment has put the new program on hold. Northern Health has been trying to recruit an RN Clinical Leader for the new program, but the first posting for that position failed to identify a suitable candidate. The position has been posted for a second time."

Someone enlighten me, why is it the Government's fault they can't find any suitable candidates? Should they lower their qualifications?

Posted by: youwho on November 26 2008 7:07 PM

maybe it was first posted internally...(giving the benefit of the doubt to NHA)

Posted by: Oldun on November 26 2008 8:47 PM

Why was it shut down in July?

Posted by: Lamb on November 26 2008 8:55 PM

Bearucrats trying to show they know more than tried and true treatment. R.N.'s and the medical model simply aren't knowledgeable enough to work with addictions. I wish they would stop playing with these people who need treatment. This isn't a game, this is life or death for many people.

Posted by: ammonra on November 26 2008 10:29 PM

Why is the government responsible? Because of all the layoffs, reductions in funding, attacks on health care workers, cancelled training programs etc, etc, etc.

Why would any experienced health care worker want to stay in a system like that. If they can get out of the system and retire, they have done it. I did and so have a lot of others, some voluntary, some forced.

Posted by: MrPG on November 27 2008 8:13 AM

Finding good qualified people is hard in any industry, not just the medical field. But if you want to blame the government for that, go ahead.

Posted by: metalman on November 27 2008 10:58 AM

I have to say that anyone who defends the government's stance (aka spin) is not looking at the big picture. They can sit back and claim that there is a skilled labour shortage, but that is old news. There has been a skilled labour shortage in B.C. for years. Years before the government, and by extension the media, learned that here was a skills shortage, those of us in business could see it coming. My point is that there should have been addiction programs long before now, when they would have had the staff, and would have started ramping up those programs by now, and not creating new ones only to find that there is no skilled people to run them. That is government for you; they always have to re-invent the wheel, when all it needed was a good cleaning and re-chroming.
metalman.

Posted by: MrPG on November 27 2008 11:08 AM

Hindsight is always 20/20. Even if they had the foresight to see all of this coming, they would still be competing for qualified candidates.

I love how many people on this site talk as if they know everything.