'Marshalling the troops'

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

13 February 2009

Posted By DAVID NESSETH,

For 45 minutes Thursday, some of the best minds in the Cornwall area brainstormed about the biggest problems plaguing the city.

Drugs, poverty, drugs, domestic violence, more drugs, and funding for services were the issues raised most often by stakeholders like local police, politicians and counselling professionals as they debated over breakfast at the Ramada Inn.

"In war you gather your resources," said Etienne SaintAubin, executivedirectorof theS, D and G Legal Clinic, speaking with his discussion group.

 "We've got God damn good troops here, and good ammunition. We need to marshall the troops."

Besides the city's substance abuse problem, the protection and nurturing of children was the most common theme.

"What kept coming up is youth resiliency. How can they rise above (obstacles)?" asked Louise Simmons, co-ordinator for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit's (EOHU) Chronic Disease Prevention program. The meeting was a follow up to one held nearly five months ago, when Dr. Paul Roumeliotis and the EOHU announced their intention to enact positive change in the Cornwall area.

Now, the EOHU is working on forming a task force to solve at least one of the issues raised.

At the last meeting, the region's medical officer of health gave a slideshow presentation that showed some of the disturbing statistics that plague the Cornwall area. But this time there were no numbers from Roumeliotis about cancer rates, suicide or childhood development. It was all about getting input.

"We're not reinventing the wheel, we're putting together our collective expertise for the future," said Roumeliotis, who intends to dedicate a member of his staff to work on the task force project. "Let's pick something that's tangible," the doctor added. "We can't change the world right away, though we want to."

Ray Hood, executive director of the Family Counselling Centre of Cornwall and United Counties, discussed the issue of domestic violence with Chief of Police Dan Parkinson and Karen Turchetto, executive director of the United Way.

The discussion soon shifted into wondering what comes first - the violence, or drug and alcohol abuse. Hood said he often smells alcohol on the breath of women who come to the centre for help in a domestic violence situation.

"It could be a coping mechanism that turns into an addiction," he said.

Parkinson said it's time for the city to take the first step together and admit it has a drug problem.

He said Cornwall's been known all over Ontario for other issues, such as child sex abuse, and the city stood up and addressed the problem through a three-year public inquiry.

He said there needs to be the same vigilance towards drugs.

"No one likes putting their dirty laundry out on the line, but sometimes you have to," Parkinson said.

"But the dirty laundry's been on the line for far too long," Turchetto responded.

EOHU Health Information and Evaluation manager Gamil Shahein, speaking on behalf of his discussion group, noted that there is a negative attitude prevailing in the Cornwall community.

The group suggested that may be a place for the task force to start, perhaps in some sort of advocacy role.

At another table, a group discussed the problem of kids showing up to school hungry and the lack of resources for special needs children in places like Akwesasne.

Connie Hall, a district chief from Akwesasne, said, "In Canada, it's sink or swim," when it comes to getting help. She said that some 21 per cent of Akwesasne schoolchildren are considered special needs students.

Another discussion group suggested the need for a 211 service in the Cornwall area.

It's essentially a resource guide for residents to find out about local social services.

It's available in many parts of Ontario, but not Cornwall.

Roumeliotis said in the near future his team will meet with members from different organizations to select one particular issue or task that will be the task force's first challenge.

He called the Oxycontin problem in Cornwall an "emergency issue", and one that the task force will automatically be assigned to tackle. Chief Parkinson met with Roumeliotis in recent weeks to layout their own strategy.

"People are shopping around doctors and they steal prescriptions," the doctor said.

Parkinson said the prescription painkiller pills are a problem that spans several age groups.

WOW they covered all that in 45 minutes, are you sure they could aford the time.