In less than two months, Guyana will have its first substance abuse rehabilitation centre for women as a result of US$125,000 funding provided by the US State Department’s International Narcotics Legal Affairs unit (INL) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Head of the local CRS office Thibaut Williams said the INL’s funding, which amounts to US$100,000 (S20M), is being provided through the US Embassy. The centre will be located at Triumph, East Coast Demerara and would be manned by the Phoenix Recovery Project, which is headed by Clarence Young who is also an employee of the Ministry of Health, Division of Health Sciences Education.
In a recent interview with Stabroek News, Williams said CRS, which started operations in Guyana in 2002, has been working in the areas of HIV and youth development, both of which are connected with substance abuse, hence the new project.
He said CRS’s interest in substance abuse grew more when a study, commissioned by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the health ministry last year January, found that HIV prevalence among people who use illicit drugs was “alarmingly high” and as such highlighted a strong correlation between HIV and substance abuse.
That study, which was done by Young, involved some 172 persons who were interviewed and HIV tests conducted. The results showed that there was an overall HIV rate of 16.9%. Women in the study had an “astounding 52.9%” HIV rate. Out of the 172, 13% of the men were positive with some 53% of the females being positive, the study had stated.
Young had said then that when they started the study they had decided that if they found 2% of the persons were infected it would have been significant. However, they were all alarmed to find such a large number of persons infected. Interestingly, the study had said that 88% wanted addiction treatment; 19% actually received treatment; 62% said it was too costly to access treatment; 12% were unaware of treatment programmes and 20% actually had no desire to quit.
The study had also found that there was a need to develop a strategy to address HIV and substance users and this should include a broad-based, comprehensive response from a wide variety of stakeholders. Further, it was also found that there was need for a public health response that addresses the complex nature of HIV and substance use, and was flexible, appropriate and informed. The response requires “Addiction services that are prepared to respond to people in the varying stages of their substance use and can facilitate HIV prevention, testing, and treatment,” the study had said.
Since the rehabilitation services available for substance abuse at the Salvation Army and the Phoenix project only cater for men, Williams said, they asked Young, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, to put together a project that would include women.
The project, of which the soon-to-be-opened rehabilitation centre is part, has more than one component. One of these is to have programmes in five pilot communities that would target youths in the area of substance abuse for an 18-month period. One of the communities will be Triumph. The second component of the project will be the training of health care workers in an effort to assist them in dealing with substance abuse cases, which would see them referring persons who need help to rehabilitation centres. The project also involves a component which would see outreach programmes being conducted at the female prison in New Amsterdam and it would involve the counselling of those who are addicted to drugs. This part of the project has already commenced and it is hoped that support groups would be formed.
The fourth part of the project is the setting up of the rehabilitation centre for women. According to Williams, a building has already been identified so they would not need to purchase one.
He said that a contract will soon be signed by all parties involved and it is hoped that by March the centre would be opened.
Williams said that those involved are in now in the process of recruiting employees for the centre and while the services would be free initially those with the means to pay would be asked to make a contribution.
The funding would only provide services for 18 months, Williams said, adding that it is hoped that the centre would become self-sustaining after this period expires. However, he added that what persons seeking the services would be asked to pay would be much less than is currently being paid by men.
He said CRS is also involved in capacity building and in this regard is assisting Phoenix in improving its administrative skills. Persons would be guided to the rehab centre mainly on a word-of-mouth basis, Williams said as Phoenix already has close relations with the narcotics and alcohol anonymous groups, which would also refer their members to the centre.
Also with the training of health care workers it is hoped that women who are addicted and who seek medical attention would be referred to the centre from hospitals.
