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Show Family Involvement in Drug Treatment Emphasized at Meet Family envolvement in treat-meint treat-meint of drug abusers was emphasised em-phasised over and over again at the Women's Legislative Council meeting Thursday. "The family must become involved," in-volved," stated Dr. Bruce Beck of the Rehabilitation and Treatment Treat-ment Center, Division of Drugs. Dr. Beck replaced Dr. LaVar Rockwood who was scheduled to speak. Other speakers were Mrs. Roxie Lee Nelson, Chief of Children's Services, Division of Mental Health, and Dr. Eugene Eug-ene J. Fox, director of Youth Center, Utah State Hospital. Refering to treatment of drug abusers, Dr. Beck said, "You must expect relapses and be long suffering and patient." Curing a drug abuser is not like undergoing surgery or recovering re-covering from a specific illness. ill-ness. It is a complicated and often longthy process. Dr. Beck said the main function fun-ction of the newly created Division Div-ision of Drugs is to educate the public about drug abuse and establish treatment and rehabilitation reha-bilitation centers. "We resfrain from duplicating already existing exist-ing system but update and suggest ways to present the new information to schools, etc." He said the Division of Drugs is not interested in establishing a state center but feels there is more to be gained gain-ed from privately operated centers supported by enthusiastic enthus-iastic community groups and local professional people. A master plan is being fostered to coordinate such treatment facilities already available. The Divison of Drugs offers needed support and encouragement, encourage-ment, emergency referral, evaluation, and a comfortable environment. "Sometimes we just help someone off a bad trip." We must find a way for these people to gain skills and return to society. We need to provide vocational counseling, and provide pro-vide more recreational activities activ-ities for young people. He said, "Sometimes the association as-sociation with other drug users is more important to the user than the drugs themselves. They need some place to belong be-long and find ready acceptance in the drug culture. We must help them to find another culture." cul-ture." Mrs. Nelson spoke on the rapid growth in mental health facilities. A few years ago Provo had Utah's only health cented but since 1968 Weber County and Granite District have established centers and by January, 1971, there should be one in the four corners area. By 1977, she said, Utah should have eleven comprehensive Mental Health Centers. In answer to a question, Mrs. Nelson said the Youth Center needs a detoxification unit and two more adolscent wards in addition to the present two wards for 25 children each. The center also need funds for education of handicapped children child-ren during the summer. Dr. Faux used slides to present pre-sent an informal picture of the fine esprit d'corps which exists among the staff members at the hospital. He said most of the youths (patients) are behind in school and have never known success but really become motivated in the small classrooms at State Hospital. Fifteen to twenty twen-ty percent of them have a drug history. The State Hospital school is accredited and is part of Provo City Schools. He praised the fine coopreation existing between be-tween the school and Provo District. |