Groups file human rights complaint over treatment of Vancouver's homeless

VANCOUVER — Private security guards that patrol downtown Vancouver on the lookout for crimes and other social ills violate the rights of drug addicts and the homeless, says a complaint to be filed Thursday with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal.

The complaint alleges the guards hired by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association and known as "downtown ambassadors," unfairly harass addicts and limit their access to public spaces.

The unarmed guards' role, according to the association's website, includes assisting the public with directions and other questions, monitoring and deterring crimes in public spaces and reporting crime and "quality of life" concerns.

The complaint by the Pivot Legal Society, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and the United Native Nations claims the guards discriminate based on the disabilities of addiction and mental illness.

And they say the guards' actions disproportionately affect aboriginals.

In particular, the groups complain the guards order people sitting or laying on the sidewalk to move and try to prevent people from looking for recyclables in dumpsters.

They say the guards follow and stare at people they find "undesirable" and take photographs and notes for unknown purposes.

"Each of the above-noted tactics individually and collectively have the effect of 'humiliating' and 'shaming' homeless people who have equal legal access to public spaces, including sidewalks and back lanes," says the complaint, which contains allegations that haven't been tested in court.

No one from the business association was immediately available for comment.

The groups note the guards enjoy a sanctioned position of authority, but don't have any special legal mandate or protection.

They ask the commission to declare that the guards are violating the province's human rights code and order them to stop.

And they want the commission to order the business association to pay $20 each to people affected by their actions. They also ask the association to pay the costs of pursuing their complaint.

The security-guard program started eight years ago and has expanded with the blessing of Vancouver's city council.

The downtown ambassadors, along with the business association's loss-prevention programs, have a budget $961,000 for 2007-2008 - nearly 60 per cent of the association's entire budget.

The business association is funded through a levy imposed on the municipal property taxes of downtown commercial properties.
__________
source: http://canadianpress.google.com

Drug Rehab and Addiction Treatment

Drug addiction is a manageable disorder. By the treatment which is tailored to individual needs, patients can learn to control their condition and live normal, productive lives. Selecting a drug rehab center is one of the most important and difficult decisions that you will take in your life. The majority of the drug rehab and alcohol rehab centers use predominantly group therapy to treat their clients because it is more cost effective. Like people with diabetes the cardiac disorder, people in treatment for drug addiction learn behavioral changes and often take medications as part of their treatment regimen. Drug treatment programs in prisons can succeed in preventing patients return to criminal behavior, in particular if they are related to the programs community-based which continue the treatment when the customer leaves the prison. There is no fast difficulty for the diseases of thedrug abuse and alcoholism. Recovery is a continuous process.

A drug rehabilitation treatment center should offer a variety of treatment programs which meet individual needs. Programs can include inpatient, residential, outpatient, and/or short-stay options. The person usually takes drugs because they attempt to compensate for a certain insufficiency or personal situation of the life. They can be depressed, in pain or incapable of dealing with a loss of a loved one or extreme circumstance. It could also be as simple as a need to fit in and make friends, or a manner of losing the weight. Behavioral therapies can include counseling, psychotherapy, support groups, or family therapy. Treatment medications offer help in suppressing the withdrawal syndrome and drug craving and in blocking the effects of drugs. The ultimate goal of all drug abuse treatment is to enable the patient to carry out the lasting abstinence, but the immediate goals are to reduce drug use, improve the patient’s capacity to function, and minimize the medical and social complications of drug abuse.

Drugs are essentially a pain-killer. They lessen emotional and physical pain and provide the user with a temporary escape from problems. When a person is unable to cope with something in life and take drugs as a result, they feel they have found a way to deal with the problem. There are a number of alcohol rehab programs in Ohio which provide addiction treatment services for adults and adolescents. Drug rehab programs in Ohio, may or may not include a drug detox or alcohol detox program. It is important to discuss this aspect of a drug rehab program with intake staff, as it can make a tremendous difference in a person’s addiction treatment. Successful drug treatment outcomes depend upon retaining the individual long enough to gain the full benefits of treatment. Whether or not the individual stays in treatment and is successful in treatment depends on both the individual and the program.
________
source: onlinehealthtips.org

Addiction & Depression Treatment in the most comfortable & nurturing facility

Addiction rarely exists as an isolated disease. Unfortunately, many “exclusive” treatment facilities insist on treating it as if it did.

The truth is that substance abuse is a problem with both physical and psychological roots. Addicts are sick both in body and in mind, and it should be no surprise that many addiction victims also suffer from depression or related psychiatric. It should also be no surprise that those sufferers can only get sober after their mental health has been properly addressed.

That’s where it becomes necessary to find an addiction treatment facility that is also a licensed dual diagnosis center.

Where other drug rehabilitation centers ignore the psychological dimension of the healing process. This depression treatment center emphasizes it. They understand that dual diagnosis and depression treatment are essential elements of any recovery program. That’s why so many of their clients achieve meaningful, long-term sobriety. More importantly, that’s how they can help you get where you need to go.

Remember, there are no guarantees in the drug rehab process. Treatment can only work if it’s administered the right way, with an eye towards promoting holistic recovery. The process very often begins with depression treatment. It ends—or should end—with a second chance to live life the way you used to know it. It’s hard to imagine how anything could be more important than that.

Upscale clients from all around the globe make this facility their exclusive treatment destination because they know the staff and clinical team will attack the addiction and depression from all angles.
______
source: www.depression-treatment.mobi/

City overdose deaths drop slightly

Deaths from drug and alcohol overdose dropped slightly last year in Baltimore, according to a report released yesterday by the Health Department. The decline continues a downward trend from the peak a decade ago.

In 2007, 235 city residents died from overdose in Baltimore, down from 244 the previous year.

City health officials said the decline suggests that drug use in the city may be declining. "The numbers are most likely a reflection of how many people are using," said Caroline Fichtenberg, the Health Department's chief epidemiologist, who wrote the report. She said it wasn't clear why drug use may be dropping, but said better prevention and treatment programs may play a role.

But, experts and officials agreed, the report shows that despite the small improvement, Baltimore is in the throes of a severe public health problem.

"The drug problem is enormous," said Bill Latimer, an expert in addiction, prevention and treatment, and an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "The overdose deaths are an important statistic, but just the tip of the iceberg."

Baltimore's death rate from overdose of all drugs, including prescription medicines, was 35 per 100,000 in 2004. For the U.S. as a whole, the rate that year was 10.5 per 100,000. A 2003 federal report found that Baltimore had the highest rate of drug-related deaths out of 35 U.S. cities, including Detroit, New York and Washington. More recent comparative data were not available.

Sixty-four percent of the deaths in Baltimore last year were heroin-related, and 38 percent were cocaine-related. Because many of the dead ingested more than one drug, it is impossible to say exactly which substance caused the overdose.

"Polydrug cases make it difficult to know what's contributing to what," said Dr. Robert P. Schwartz, an expert on drug addiction and treatment. He is medical director at Friends Research Institute, as well as a fellow at the Open Society Institute.

The largest decrease in the city came from cocaine-related deaths, which fell from 116 in 2006 to 90. But the drop came a year after a precipitous increase, from 52 in 2005. The reasons for the rise and subsequent fall remain a mystery, Baltimore health officials said. But Fichtenberg said that she had heard anecdotal evidence, from police and other sources, that decreased supply played a role: less cocaine was being sold on Baltimore streets last year than in 2006.

"The big picture is that the 2006 increase has not continued. That's a relief," said Fichtenberg.

Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein said he plans to focus on the kinds of drug treatment the victims received before they died. With this information, officials hope to find ways to improve treatment and reduce overdose risk. "We're trying to get a much better understanding of overdose deaths," he said. "We're looking to understand as many factors as possible."

Sharfstein and others noted that methadone deaths rose for the eighth straight year, to 74, the highest level ever.

"The methadone deaths remain really striking," said Latimer. He said the methadone deaths were in part an indication of the city's "massive" heroin problem.

Methadone deaths are rising nationally, in part because more and more treatment programs are offering the drug, and in part because doctors increasingly prescribe the drug as a pain reliever. Methadone, an opioid, can help heroin addicts kick their habit. It reduces the craving for heroin, and gives users a smaller high. But despite its relative safety, the drug poses risks.

There was one overdose death in Baltimore last year associated with buprenorphine, an addiction treatment drug that has gained popularity as a safer alternative to methadone. Some critics have warned that buprenorphine may itself pose serious overdose risks. In Baltimore, many fewer addicts are treated with buprenorphine – 300 in city treatment programs, compared with 3,900 treated with methadone.

Sharfstein called buprenorphine a "very promising strategy."

"It is an effective treatment for heroin addiction, that is much less likely to cause overdose than either heroin or methadone," he said.
________
source: Baltimore Sun