SAPT programs spared for another year

For Frances Times LTD
By Duane Hicks, Staff writer
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Rainy River District Substance Abuse Prevention Team, and other groups under the Ministry of Health Promotion’s FOCUS program, have been told they’ll receive funding for 2009-10, with local SAPT co-ordinator Hugh Dennis saying he’s going forward with programming for the next year.
Dennis said there’s been a flurry of phone calls and e-mails sent regarding the future of FOCUS funding since yesterday afternoon since funding extension wasn’t clearly spelled out in the 2009 Ontario budget delivered by Finance minister Dwight Duncan.
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“Folks around the province [were] looking for the budget line involving FOCUS and we didn’t find anything,” he noted.
But Dennis said he was in contact this morning with Gurpreet Clair, program co-ordinator for the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion branch of the Ministry of Health Promotion, who sent out a message to all FOCUS co-ordinators assuring them that their programs will be funded for at least another year.
“As you are all aware, the provincial budget was released yesterday,” the e-mail read. “At the moment, MHP [Ministry of Health Promotion] is working through the specifics re: health promotion.
“For the FOCUS community program, funding is committed for 2009-10,” it continued.
“I know that all of you are awaiting written confirmation, however, this will probably not occur today due to several severe priorities happening at the same time,” Clair added.
“From my perspective, it is still not absolutely confirmed but it’s a higher level of hope than it was yesterday at this time,” said Dennis, adding he hopes to get written confirmation in the next few days.
“I am going forward with programming for the next year. That is the bottom line,” he remarked.
As previously reported, the FOCUS program’s funding was to expire March 31.
The goal of the FOCUS program is to prevent problems, including injuries, associated with alcohol and other drug abuse.
The local SAPT is one of 22 sites currently supported by the FOCUS program, which has a budget of about $2.4 million to be distributed amongst the sites (about $100,000 per community).
Since its inception in 1998, FOCUS also has received more than $4 million in in-kind donations.
The local SAPT works in conjunction with more than 60 partners, and is involved in programs ranging from the “chem-free” grad, P.A.R.T.Y., and D.A.R.E. to “Smart Serve” training, “Grab-A-Cab” and the designate driver program, and the Parents Against Illicit Narcotics (PAIN) support group.