Duane Hicks
The Rainy River District Substance Abuse Prevention Team, and other groups under the Ministry of Health Promotion’s FOCUS program, will receive funding for 2009-10, with the program to come under review after that.
“We had a provincial meeting [Monday], a tele-conference, and as we reported [Friday], it’s been re-funded for a year, and they’re going to be doing an assessment, a review,” local SAPT co-ordinator Hugh Dennis noted yesterday.
“The continuation of the program is contingent on the review and the decision of the Ministry of Health Promotion.
“We think it’s a great program, but they’ll be doing an assessment and we’ll see how it plays out,” Dennis added, saying it’s possible that even if FOCUS doesn’t continue in its current form, the province could carry on similar initiatives under a different name.
“That’s fair game. The times change and we’ve got to change with them,” he reasoned. “I am hopeful that it will be re-funded into the future but for right now, we’ve got another year and we’re going to give her heck.”
As in past years, Dennis will have his plate full. 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 designated driver program, and the Parents Against Illicit Narcotics (PAIN) support group.
As previously reported, the FOCUS program’s funding was to expire March 31.
The goal of the FOCUS program, which was formed in 1998, 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 (roughly $100,000 per community).
