Opioid treatment services expand

BARWON Health will expand access to opioid dependence treatment under a new State Government program aimed at reducing drug harm across Victoria.

The Geelong-based service is one of 15 community health providers sharing in $8.4 million in grants to boost access to pharmacotherapy – a treatment that uses medications like methadone and buprenorphine to help manage opioid dependence.

The funding, delivered over three years, is expected to help an additional 1500 Victorians access treatment closer to home.

Pharmacotherapy is currently used by about 15,000 Victorians each day and has been provided through GPs, nurse practitioners and state-funded clinics. The new grants aim to fill service gaps by embedding support within regional and metropolitan community health services.

Victorian Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said pharmacotherapy was a proven and life-saving option for people dealing with addiction.

“Pharmacotherapy is a proven, life-saving treatment for people with opioid dependence, which is why we are making it more accessible through community health services right across Victoria,” she said.

The funding is part of the Government’s $95 million Statewide Action Plan to reduce drug harm, which also includes a naloxone vending machine rollout, an overdose prevention helpline trial, and a new Chief Addiction Medicine Adviser.

Other funded services include Ballarat Community Health, Bendigo Community Health Services, DPV Health, Echuca Regional Health, Gateway Health, Gippsland Lakes Complete Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Grampians Community Health, Latrobe Community Health Service, Monash Health, Peninsula Health, South West Healthcare, Western Health and Your Community Health.