Program and Event

The Fight Against Drug Addiction: Somsagna Dedication Ceremony

Ambassador Huso cuts the ribbon dedicating the Women’s Drug Rehabilitation Facility at Somsagna with Sihoune Sithileuxay, Chief of the Vientiane Municipal Committee for Drug Control and Mr. Kou Chansina, Vice Chairman of the Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision.

On February 8, U.S. Ambassador Ravic R.Huso joined Sihoune Sithileuxay, Chief of the Vientiane Municipal Committee for Drug Control, and other Lao Government officials, in dedicating the new women’s rehabilitation facility at the Somsagna Drug Treatment Center. The new ward is housed in buildings that were vacant and uninhabitable before being renovated and furnished with $32,000 in funding provided by the U.S. Embassy. The rehabilitation facility affords patients the opportunity to complete their full rehabilitation, lasting up to six months, in a secure residential environment. Before it opened, female patients had nowhere to stay following initial detoxification, and often returned to their communities without having had the time to master a healthy lifestyle, to acquire job skills, or to develop the confidence needed to say “no” permanently to drugs. As a result, many soon found themselves returning to their former addiction. The new facility, by providing an appropriate environment for rehabilitation, will greatly enhance the patient’s chances for successful drug treatment.

See Ambassador's Remarks [English][Lao]