An alcohol and drugs treatment centre is being set up to help dozens of addicts in Bermuda.

American group Caron, which specialises in rehabilitating addicts, is opening a facility in Smith’s in July to assess people who need help with alcohol or drugs problems.

Patients can then be referred to Caron’s residential centre in Pennsylvania, where they will undergo treatment typically for at least one month.

On their return to Bermuda, patients will continue their recovery through aftercare programmes with therapists and counsellors. The scheme, titled Caron Bermuda, follows years of failed attempts to create a large-scale residential facility on the Island.

It aims to tackle the shortage of available treatment for criminals who offend to feed their addiction which has left Bermuda’s magistrates exasperated. The move is also designed to cut the number of road accidents and reduce the damaging effects of drugs and alcohol on families and Bermuda’s social infrastructure.

People will be directed to the Smith’s centre by therapists or physicians, as well as by the courts. Patients can also self-refer themselves.

It will initially be staffed by three people and it is predicted 25 people a year will be sent for residential treatment. The cost for the first year will be $750,000 — a figure expected to rise as the project expands in future years — and is funded by donors of Caron, a not-for-profit organisation.

Announcing the move at a press conference yesterday, Caron Bermuda chairman Rory Gorman said: “There have been various efforts over the years by different entities in Bermuda to establish full-service, self-sufficient treatment and rehabilitation facilities to deal with the problems of alcoholism and drug addiction, with at best mixed results.

“It was decided that the best approach was actually to stop trying to create in Bermuda a primary care residential facility that could provide all of the professional services needed in treating alcoholism and drug addiction. Instead we decided to build a partnership with somebody who already knows how to do this and is doing it and has a track record of doing it.

“The impact of substance abuse is one of the greatest challenges Bermuda is currently facing. Every day we read about spiralling crime rates, including violent crime, increased traffic collisions and fatalities attributed to drunk driving, and the overall breakdown of family networks and Bermuda’s own social infrastructure.”

The Smith’s centre will run seminars similar to those for Alcoholics Anonymous, and hold regular group meetings for families of addicts.

Clinical co-ordinator Charles Farmer, who has worked with addicts in Bermuda, said the aftercare classes would be particularly important. He said: “For so long now, I’ve watched addicts and alcoholics travel overseas for treatment of the disease of addiction, only to find that no structured support system exists when they return home.”

Doug Tieman, president of Caron in the US, described drugs and alcohol addiction as the number one healthcare problem in the world. He said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Bermuda.”

Gina Hurst-Maybury, of Bermuda Assessment Referrals Centre, said: “This is another resource for us that can be used. It’s another tool in our arsenal.”

Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler, whose Ministry runs the Department of National Drug Control, said: “I am convinced that this is the only way to rid our community of drug and alcohol addiction — by collectively taking responsibility for our problems and dealing with them head on. That’s why the establishment of Caron Bermuda is so important.”

Magistrates have repeatedly complained that the Island’s lack of long-term residential treatment facilities makes it difficult to deal effectively with drugs-related offenders.

Caron officials and staff at BARC have been in talks to see how offenders can be accommodated under the new scheme, although it is expected there may be immigration issues involving flying some to the US.

Currently, rehabilitation services in Bermuda include substance abuse programme Turning Point, which deals with 250 addicts a year, while Harbour Light accommodates 10 people at a time and Camp Spirit 14.

Drug rehab centre to open in July