Drug hotline: fear at-risk adults will avoid seeking treatment

A BALLARAT drug and alcohol treatment service provider holds grave concerns that at-risk adults may avoid seeking treatment due to a new statewide intake and assessment hotline.

A BALLARAT drug and alcohol treatment service provider holds grave concerns that at-risk adults may avoid seeking treatment due to a new statewide intake and assessment hotline.

The new program, which begins on September 1, will see Ballarat drug and alcohol users forced to call a 1300 number as the first step in seeking treatment including withdrawal, detox and rehabilitation.

The organisation running the new system, the Australian Community Support Organisation, will then refer people to relevant local treatment providers.

Until now, organisations like Ballarat Community Health and UnitingCare, had done their own intakes and assessments.

We are very concerned that we wont have the same capacity to respond in terms of treatment, said Ballarat Community Health alcohol and other drugs and refugees team leader Claire Ryan.

Now, with less than half the funding we used to receive, we will lose the capacity to respond to people requiring treatment.

It is hard for people to take that first step to seek treatment and this may make it harder.

The new model is part of a state government recommission into alcohol and other drugs.

The state government announced in June that ACSO would run the state-wide program.

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Drug hotline: fear at-risk adults will avoid seeking treatment