THE State Government will fund six residential drug rehabilitation beds in Mount Gambier to tackle the crystal methamphetamine scourge in the community.
Health Minister Peter Malinauskas will travel to Mount Gambier today to make the funding announcement as part of the $8m Stop the Hurt strategy.
The residential rehabilitation beds will be delivered by Uniting Communities, which provides alcohol and other drug treatment services to the region.
The rehabilitation beds will be in place and operational by early 2018.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Minister Peter Malinauskas – who will today tour the Mount Gambier Hospital – said residents were rightly concerned about the prevalent use of drugs, particularly ice, in regional areas.
“As part of our response to the findings of the Ice Taskforce, we promised to improve existing services by increasing access to treatment,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“We are delivering on that promise by establishing new residential rehabilitation beds in regional centres, of which six will be here in the South East.”
Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell – who has been campaigning for drug rehabilitation services – yesterday welcomed the announcement.
“This is fantastic news for our community, these beds are desperately needed,” Mr Bell said.
He congratulated community members – who sat on the regional roundtable – for advocating for services.
While welcoming the six beds, he said more drug services were needed.
“This is just the start, we need more services to follow,” Mr Bell said.
Limestone Coast-based Labor candidate for the Legislative Council Clare Scriven said she had been advocating for rehabilitation services to be based in the Limestone Coast.
“These new rehabilitation beds will help to treat those in our community who are addicted to ice, benefiting families and the broader community,” Ms Scriven said.
“It is great to see the State Government has listened to the needs of the Limestone Coast and is focusing these important resources where they are needed.”
Released in June, the State Government’s Stop the Hurt strategy committed to funding a 50pc increase in outpatient counselling appointments and at least 15 new regional residential rehabilitation beds.
The taskforce consulted a range of experts and affected families and held six roundtables across the state in both regional and metropolitan areas, including the South East.
