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Show i Davis Task Force Needs discussed. By GARY R. BXODGETT Clipper News Editor FARMINGTON - Treatment facilities those that are available and those that are needed was the topic of the Davis County Task Force Against Drugs and Alcohol Among Teenagers. MEETING TUESDAY noon at the Davis School District, committee members mem-bers and guest speakers noted that "existing "ex-isting facilities are minimal, but that the need is critical." Dr. Russell Williams, director of Davis County Mental Health, said it is true that many people are not concerned about the impact of drugs on our youth, "but there are many who do care and are trying to help." HE NOTED that several new programs have been started in Davis County. These include parent awareness, parent and peer support groups, peer counseling, and short-term chemical dependency treatment. But what is needed, he said, are expanded ex-panded programs to determine youth who are on drugs, foster and day-care centers, more hospital beds for long-term treatment, treat-ment, and long-term treatment and rehabilitation re-habilitation centers such as STRAIGHT. CURRENTLY, THERE are no treatment treat-ment facilities for youth on drugs. Ogden's St. Benedict's Hospital is the closest facility and offers only short-term treatment. However, there are plans to convert part of the Lakeview Hospital Chemical dependency ward to provide for adolescent adoles-cent care, and a new hospital being built in Woods Cross will provide for youth drug and alcohol treatment. DR. RICHARD C. Johnson, director of Lakeview Hospital's new dependency-care dependency-care facility, added that AA and NA rehabilitation re-habilitation centers are available in the Salt Lake Valley to give support to those who are dependents of alcohol and drugs. Continued on page two Task Force needs discussed Continued from page one "But our primary concern now should be for new and expanded treatment facili-ties facili-ties to help chemically dependent youths," he said. MILT SHAUM, representing the Davis School District, emphasized a need for additional pre-school program and better communications and cooperation between be-tween parents and teachers. "Teachers want to share their findings find-ings of students believed to be on drugs, but they are afraid of the repercussions from parents who retaliate with a law suit of defimation of character (on the child) , " he said. ALSO, TEACHERS are sometimes reluctant re-luctant to report such incidents (of drugs) because they may be friends of the parents pa-rents and don't want to hurt them. School Supt. Lawrence Welling also defended the teachers' position by noting that "many incidents where teachers may suspect drug useage but it can not be proved." He explained that legislation is being proposed that may help in this situation in the future. JUEL GREGERSEN, of the LDS Social So-cial Services Department, also stressed a need to work with the youth afflicted by drugs or alcohol. "When they are on drugs or alcohol these youths are in a cycle whereby they are not their natural selves," he said. "Drugs and alcohol are diseases and these youngsters are sick, just as though they had a medical disease and they need all the help they can get." AT THE same time, he said, parents 1 must be taught to cope with the problem and be able to provide whatever help is ; needed. J T Emphasizing that drug abuse is a more recent problem , there is a greater number i of alcoholics than drug abusers among LDS members. He said that the average number of alcoholics -- adults only - s eight per LDS Ward. A PARENT of a youthful drug addict . told the Task Force of her expenences u and emphasized a need for local short-term short-term and long-term treatment and rehabilitation. rehabi-litation. V She encouraged committee members to help parents who suspect that their child might be experimenting with drugs - and then to have the parents act quicwy to seek professional help for that chiio in She also urged teachers and friends o i potential drug abusers to notify parents oi this problem. i |