AUTUMN 2017 EDITION

WRAD NEWSW R A DW E S T E R N R E G I O N

A L C O H O L & D R U G C E N T R E I N C .

WRAD // 172 Merri Street Warrnambool // Phone: 1300 009 723 // Email: wrad@wrad.org.au // www.wrad.org.au

PUSH FOR RESIDENTIAL REHAB SERVICE

WRAD is stepping up its campaign to get a residential rehabilitation centre in south-west Victoria for people with drug and alcohol problems.WRAD is promoting the need for a 20-25 bed centre where clients can stay for three months or longer. Residential treatment is an important part of a continuum of services including early intervention, outpatient and day treatment to address clients individual needs.

WRAD is presenting the pamphlet at meetings with government bodies and decision makers to lobby for the new centre.

It has also formed a sub-committee comprising WRAD director Geoff Soma, management committee members Glenys Phillpot and Tracey Kol, former AFL player John Rantall of Noorat, Matt Stewart from the Standing Tall mentoring program, Warrnambool Cr Sue Cassidy and Dr Lynda Berends.

Mr Soma said WRAD treated more than 600 people for drug and alcohol problems in 2015-2016.

However, there are no residential rehabilitation beds in the south-west for people who have not been able to address their substance abuse through other longer treatment options.

While the number of people being treated had not risen greatly, WRAD is seeing more people using the high-impact drug ice, which is heavily related to crime.

“People’s behaviour is affected badly by their use of ice,” Mr Soma said. “People get addicted quickly.”

A common trend among the people treated at WRAD for drug abuse was they were using not only ice but also a variety of other drugs such as alcohol which is still the most problematic drug and cannabis, Mr Soma said.

Mr Soma said there were good reasons for a residential rehab centre in the region.

“Residential rehab makes good sense,” he said. “It is cost effective – less than half what it costs to keep someone in prison – and it results in reduced crime, increased employability for clients and it addresses key issues including psychiatric and psychological.”

Mr Soma said many people with abuse issues often had additional issues such as education deficits and unemployment and without targeted help struggle overall.

The planned centre will provide 24-hour care that addresses clients’ drug dependence and help them develop skills to improve their life skills and employment options as well as focus on mental health issues.

WRAD estimates is would cost about $3,650,000 to establish the centre and between $1.2 million-$1.5 million each year to run it. It hope to get funds in the 2018-2019 state and federal budgets, and funding will be sought from local philanthropic trusts and the community.

If the centre goes ahead, it will cover the entire Great South Coast region.

The main partners at this stage are Portland District Health, South West Healthcare and Brophy Family and Youth Services.

Residential rehab makes good sense. It is cost effective – less than half what it costs to keep someone in prison – and it results in reduced crime, increased employability for clients and it addresses key issues including mental health.

“

A new video produced by WRAD will help farmers and their families to battle through the tough times of living on the land.The video, made in conjunction with South West TAFE, was created to support farmers and their families who have mental health problems such as depression and anxiety and issues with alcohol and other drug use.

The two-part video features an interview Graeme Cowan, author of Back From The Brink which tells stories of prominent and everyday Australians who have overcome depression.

It was instigated in Warrnambool last year during the height of the dairy industry crisis. The two-part video runs for more than 30 minutes, with the second volume featuring practical advice for dealing with setbacks.

Mr Cowan came from a dairy farming background and in the video details his own battles with depression and the methods he used to recover.

He said people with issues should be gentle on themselves and not be afraid to ask for help when they’re not coping.

“No matter how dark things are…it is totally possible to come back from the brink. There is hope.”

WRAD director Geoff Soma said the videos were designed to support farmers who were struggling to cope with their situation.

“The WRAD Board and South West TAFE believed it was timely to produce this resource because of the increasing proportion of people with problems such as depression and anxiety,” he said.

“The video is particularly targeted at farmers and their families but the message and advice could apply to anyone battling these issues,” he said.

“It is important that people requiring support make contact with us as soon as possible to assist with the recovery process.”

“We hope this video will provide comfort and support for farmers and families experiencing mental health issues.”

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS TO ACCESS

THE VIDEO ON YOU TUBE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqXm-CQjJIY

PART 2:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI3lO4wmVq4

DVDs and copies of Mr Cowan’s book are available from WRAD.

$1.6 MILLION INVESTMENT WRAD is part of a new $1.6 million alcohol and other drug treatment program in Wannon.

The Western Victoria Primary Health Network has commissioned WRAD; Uniting Care Ballarat and Grampians Community Health to deliver brief intervention counselling services.

Funded under the Turnbull Government’s National Ice Action Strategy, $1.6 million will be provided to the Western Victorian Primary Health Network.

These services will help people who have been identified by their GPs, non-government organisations and emergency services as being at risk of developing drug or alcohol problems, as well as family or friends who have been impacted by someone else’s misuse issues.

They will be assessed and offered a number of counselling sessions – an opportunity to talk to someone about their issues or concerns at a very early stage and develop a way forward.

These services fill an identified gap in drug and alcohol services in this region, and each provider has worked closely with local communities, including GPs, to co-design programs that meet the specific needs of the communities they service.

The brief intervention services will operate from 1 May and finish on 30 June 2018, with an evaluation to run concurrently to assess the outcomes of the programs.

The Australian Government provides funding to Primary Health Networks to lead health service planning at a regional level, and commission innovative and locally-focused services that best meet the specific health needs of individuals and communities.

This approach puts the individual at the centre of health care and will deliver better health outcomes for people with or at risk of alcohol and drug misuse.

VIDEO TO HELP FARMERS DEAL WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

PICTURED: WRAD Director Geoff Soma and Board members Rob Coffey, Glenys Philpot and Carolyn Monaghan welcome the announcement with Member for Wannon Dan Tehan.

SUPPORT AVAILABLE IN NEW STUDENT CARDSNew student identification cards have been introduced in Warrnambool to help young people in their times of need.

The Great South Coast ICE Challenge, which aims to address the problems associated with ICE in our region, is behind the cards which have been supported by WRAD and the Jones and Uebergang foundations.

The identification cards have been introduced at Brauer College and Emmanuel College, while Warrnambool College and Kings College will use a similar card with similar information.

The Great South Coast ICE Challenge, of which WRAD is a member, aims to address the ICE problem in the region. The ICE Challenge is being driven by six teams, including a team of secondary students, plus five volunteer project teams from the Corangamite, Glenelg, Moyne, Southern Grampians and Warrnambool local government areas.

The youth-student team is behind the Student Identification Card.

The cards include contact details for support and referral information about illicit drugs, alcohol and mental health issues on the flip side of the Student ID Card. The cards were distributed to all year levels at Brauer and Emmanuel Colleges at the beginning of the 2017 school year. The aim of the project is to assist our youth in times of need.

Information and contact details for WRAD are included on the cards.

Data confirms that the prevalence and use of ICE across the Great South Coast is presenting challenges on many levels.

NEW CLINICAL COORDINATORFormer Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO) team leader in Warrnambool, Chris Kendall, has been recruited by WRAD to fill the new role of clinical coordinator. The position involves working with AOD clinical staff in relation to client matters and with management in relation to tenders and other matters.

“It’s a newly created role and I’m already in a coordinator’s position, it’s similar to what I’m doing but closer to home without the travel.”

Chris had been coordinating both the Ballarat and Warrnambool ACSO offices, resulting in a lot of time on the road.

Chris started his working life in the mental health field but quickly found his passion for supporting people with AOD problems.

“I sort of got into it accidentally. I originally started in the mental health field but ended up working with people with alcohol and drug issues and became more interested in that.

“There is a lot of dual diagnosis of clients.”

Prior to his ACSO role Chris was coordinator of AOD and counselling services at Colac Area Health.

ACSO is the alcohol and drug intake and assessment service for the Great South Coast region.

At this stage it remains based at the Handbury Medical Suites and handles all requests for treatment from the WRAD team. However, the State Government has announced that assessments will come back to services so it is unclear how this will impact in the Great South Coast region.

NEW STUDENT CARD DESIGN

PICTURED: CHRIS KENDALL

FOLLOW WRAD:To find out more and to keep up with the latest news about WRAD, please visit: www.wrad.org.au

Like us on Facebook on: https://www.facebook.com/wradcentre

The new gateway to AOD treatment is through the new Intake & Assessment Service: Call: 1300 022 760 Mon to Fri 9am-5pm

You can also contact Directline on 1800 888 236 for information and out of hours support.

DUAL DIAGNOSIS WORKSHOPWRAD will host a dual diagnosis forum on May 8 at South West TAFE.The two-part workshop will cover trauma informed care and challenging needs and responding to complexity.

INSIGHT INTO YOUTHWorking at Foyer Warrnambool gave Jessica Moloney an insight into the issues facing young people around Warrnambool.Now she’s taken her connection to young people a step further in a new role as a youth early intervention worker.

Based at Brophy Family and Youth Services, Jessica’s role is part of the Drug and Alcohol Responding Early (DARE) program.

Jessica responds to referrals from a variety of areas. “It could be for young people who are vulnerable to using substances or who are already using, or if could be if their parents are using substances,” she said. “It’s quite a wide range of people work with.”

The DARE program supports young people in a variety of ways that can include reduction plans, referrals to detox programs, and harm minimisation strategies.

Jessica previously worked at Foyer Warrnambool, a program that aims to break the cycle of poverty and unemployment by providing affordable and secure housing for young adults while they complete their education or start employment.

It was that role which sparked her interest in the AOD field. “I noticed a correlation between vulnerable young people in Warrnambool and substance use,” Jessica said. “It can be very upsetting for young people. Once I heard about the DARE program and what it offered, I was interested in becoming involved in it.”

The move has been positive. “It’s been amazing so far,” Jessica said. “I don’t come from a drug and alcohol background so that’s new for me, but I’ve enjoyed learning about it and the connections between youth and disengagement and even crime as a result of substance use.”

Jessica has a Bachelor of Community Services and a Graduate Certificate in Developmental Trauma and studying her Diploma of Community Services in Drug and Alcohol.

“I like helping young people to make connections with their substance use and how they’re feeling,” she said.

DARE provides a range of evidence-based interventions to support young people to build a solid social and emotional foundation.

It aims to reduce the harm caused by substance use, improve ability to form meaningful relationships, build coping strategies and alternatives to substance use, ensure current drug and alcohol use by young people does not escalate, and provide access to appropriate services where required.

DARE is a Great South Coast Alcohol and Drug Consortium program and a partnership between WRAD and Brophy. It is supported by Victoria Police.

The project is managed by Amy Wilson and also works in conjunction with the Wild Adventure Therapy program.

PICTURED: Dual Diagnosis Forum/Workshop Flyer

PICTURED: JESSICA MOLONEY