Availability of opioid addiction treatment method to expand

AS much as thirty Community Health Services around the state will share a total of $8.4 million in grants to increase the availability of pharmacotherapy addiction treatment, the State Government has announced.

Pharmacotherapy is the use of medication, such as methadone and buprenorphine, to combat illicit opioid dependence and is considered to be an essential part of Victoria’s efforts to reduce drug harm.

About 15,000 Victorians use pharmacotherapy each and every day, mainly prescribed by general practitioners and nurse practitioners, and dispensed by community pharmacies, as well as public specialist pharmacotherapy clinics across the state.

The new grants will support community health services to deliver pharmacotherapy services in areas of high demand or where there may be current or future service gaps.

“We know pharmacotherapy is a very effective treatment for opioid dependence,” said Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt.

“These grants will expand access to care via community health services, meaning more Victorians can get the help they need, closer to home.

“People struggling with addiction deserve the best care wherever they are – it’s why we have doubled our annual investment and introduced our Statewide Action Plan to change and save Victorian lives.”

The Action Plan includes a further $7.2 million investment to deliver Victoria’s first hydromorphone trial to diversify treatment options for those who have undergone traditional pharmacotherapy treatment approaches that were ineffective.

The plan is also supporting the establishment of 20 naloxone vending machines and a trial of Victoria’s first overdose prevention and response helpline.