Ed Yerxa heads new treatment support services project

by Marlene Deschamps
Westend Weekly

Seated, from left, Hugh Dennis, Cathy Bruyere, Ida Linklater and Ed Yerxa and standing behind Albert Calder and Christine Jourdain.

A new District wide program funded through Health Canada has been set up at Couchiching First Nations. The program will operate out of the newly renovated former Treaty #3 Police offices. This new Couchiching Treatment Support Services Project will do an assessment of drug/alcohol services available in the Rainy River District. There is also formal support for the program from Ontario Substance Abuse Prevention Team, the Health Access Centre on Couchiching, Rainy River Substance Abuse Prevention Team, the Health Unit, Health Access Canada, Canadian Centre for Addictions/Mental Health and the LHINs.
There is a committee led by Ed Yerxa, the Director of the program, and comprised of Hugh Dennis, Cathy Bruyere, Ida Linlater, Albert Calder and Christine Joudain. They have already been meeting for some months now and will continue to meet at there new office on a monthly basis. The First Nations target population and they include on and off First Nations communities members, Status and non-status, Metis and Inuit.
The mandate is to enhance access to treatment within the target area. They will develop a strategy using resources available and finding gaps in services to identify the need for a treatment centre. Yerxa said it was important for this identification of need to come from the communities. Some of the groups involved will also be able to assist families to learn what those dealing with addictions are going through.
Ed Yerxa is the co-ordinator and there will be six fee-for-service persons and consultants working on the project. There will also be tech support and the funds for the entire project will flow through Couchiching. Ed Yerxa brought the idea to the table in 2008 and it was supported by Chief and Council. There is an intention to share information with all district resources. They received letters of support from Couchiching, Stanjikoming, Big Island, Big Grassy, the United Native Friendship Centres in Fort Frances and Atikokan and the Sunset Country Metis and will be working with them throughout the project. They are willing to accept other First Nations or groups that want to work with the program and you can find out more about the project by phoning 274-3297.
The focus will be to survey the District, have round table discussions regarding the treatment system within the target area and gather statistics. The ideal system would offer out-patient care, detoxification, resident care, counselling, pre and post treatment for the methadone program. They will begin their assessment with a survey of 600 people. Those conducting the survey will receive training in ethics and confidentially so the people requested to take part can be assured of confidentiality and protection of information. The surveys will be tabulated by the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (Ontario). LHINS is also involved in the project. The purpose of the project, in Phase One, is to enhance existing services and identify gaps. Phase Two will entail sitting down with the stakeholders and developing and implementing recommendations brought forward.
The focus groups are the kids. It has been estima ted that 80% use some form of drugs. These numbers come from the kids themselves and they are very candid about the situation. They do not seem to understand the effect this has on their families. The information comes from meetings between Elders and the young people. The big question from the Elders and the families appears to be "What can we do"? The project is designed to come with some answers for that very question and hopefully the statistics to show that a treatment centre is needed in the District so the present alternative of sending the young very far away to get help won't be necessary.