Sophie Conlon
Industry stakeholders, frontline professionals and policy makers have gathered in Mount Gambier/ Berrin to have a conversation around improving alcohol and drug dependency services in the region.
Hosted by Substance Misuse Limestone Coast (SMLC), project manager Sophie Bourchier said the second Limestone Coast Alcohol and Other Drug Regional Summit had been a success.
Ms Bourchier said information gathered at the summit would be used to guide future advocacy in the region.
“After today, with all the data that we’ve collected from those who’ve been here, we will write a report explaining all of that data will send it to our funding bodies, politicians, it will be on our website, and we’ll make some decisions about what we will next advocate for for our region,” she said.
The summit focussed on comorbidity and integrated care and had several speakers, including WRAD Health acting chief executive Mark Powell.
Mr Powell said WRAD was an integrated health service, combining drug and alcohol, mental health and physical healthcare services in one building, which would be a beneficial model to adopt in the Limestone Coast.
“What we do in WRAD Health, just over the border, I think is a good model for Mount Gambier to be thinking about doing themselves to get a good integrated service that meets the needs of that community,” he said.
“I think some of the learnings of our model might be useful to add into what you develop locally here.”
