Local pharmacotherapy treatment service expands

BENDIGO Community Health Services (BCHS) will receive funding to expand the availability of its pharmacotherapy addiction treatment service as part of a new $8.4 million grants program.

Pharmacotherapy involves the use of medication (such as methadone and buprenorphine) to help treat opioid dependence, with around 15,000 Victorians undergoing the treatment every day.

The grants will mean up to an additional 1500 Victorians will be able to undertake the therapy, adding to the more than 40,000 Victorians accessing help through the various state-funded alcohol and drug treatment and support services each year.

The grants are part of the State Government’s $95 million Statewide Action Plan to reduce drug harms, which includes a further $7.2 million to deliver Victoria’s first hydromorphone trial and the establishment of 20 naloxone vending machines.

It will also see a trial of Victoria’s first overdose prevention and response helpline, the appointment of Victoria’s first Chief Addiction Medicine Adviser and the delivery of Victoria’s first strategy to reduce drug harms.

“Pharmacotherapy is a proven, lifesaving treatment for people with opioid dependence, which is why we are making it more accessible through community health services right across Victoria,” Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said.

“Victorians struggling with addiction deserve the best care, no matter where they live – and our Statewide Action Plan will change and save lives.”

BCHS provides more than 50 services at seven sites around the Greater Bendigo area.

For information regarding its alcohol and other drug programs, visit the BCHS website.