TALISAY EYES ACCREDITATION FOR DRUG REHAB FACILITY

Since its inception in 2012, Talisay City’s outpatient drug rehab and aftercare program has benefited more than a thousand recovering drug addicts

THE Talisay City Government is eyeing to have its drug rehabilitation facility in Barangay Cansojong accredited with the Department of Health (DOH).

Dr. Rey Ceasar Bautista, head of Talisay City’s Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program, said it would take them time before they could get an accreditation as they need to acquire some requirements.

New buildings

Bautista said they decided to apply for accreditation after the completion of a new rural health unit (RHU) building in Barangay Cansojong that would serve as the new home for their community-based drug rehabilitation program.

He told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, that their new RHU in Cansojong composed of two buildings, one of which is where their drug rehabilitation facility will be established.

Bautista said once their facility gets DOH accreditation, their drug rehabilitation services would remain even as new administrations handle the city in the years ahead.

“Accreditation is an assurance that the program will be there to stay. Even if we retire, the program will still be there since it is already institutionalized. That is the legacy of the City of Talisay,” Bautista said, in Cebuano.

He said the outpatient drug rehab and aftercare program is one way of helping drug dependents recover because drug addiction cannot be solved without proper intervention.

“Whether we admit it or not, addiction is always around the corner,” he added.

Defenders

Bautista said that around 220 drug “defenders” or those who have already completed the city’s six-month treatment and aftercare are expected to become the first beneficiaries of the soon-to-be DOH-accredited drug rehab facility.

Bautista, who has helped develop the city’s outpatient drug rehab and aftercare program since its inception in 2012, said the program has benefited more than a thousand recovering drug addicts.

Reintegration

Bautista said recovering drug users who were able to complete their program will be offered jobs or a scholarship grant by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) as part of their reintegration into the community.

“Actually, reintegration is just one of the many benefits that the city offers to our recovering drug users. Reintegration means a drug dependent has already stopped using drugs upon further verification and can now become a productive member of society,” he added.