Northern Rivers Area Health Service

The Northern Rivers Area Health Service Dual Disorder Project will run from February 2001 – June 2002

The Other Side of Paradise

Balmy weather, endless beaches, rolling hills and an infinite variety of yoga classes to choose from – a Melbournite relocating to rural Northern NSW could be forgiven for thinking she had found Nirvana.

However here, as anywhere, there is plenty of work for a Dual Disorders Project Officer to do. The area includes well-known tourist destinations, traditional farming towns and Koori and Torres Strait Islander communities. Social issues are familiar: a high transient population, high unemployment, lack of activities for youth, a dearth of low-cost housing, limited public transport and easily available illicit drugs.

The overall aim of the project is to develop, implement and evaluate a model for effective partnerships and service delivery between mental health services, drug and alcohol services non-government organizations, general practitioners and other relevant organisations.

Specific objectives include:

• Toimplement National, State and Area policies relating to Dual Disorders, such as the NSW Health ‘Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder’ Service Delivery Guidelines and Second National Mental Health Plan objectives;

• To develop a model of service delivery that is effective and responsive to  needs of people with a co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, and promote overall consistency of service delivery between service providers, while allowing for local responsiveness;

• To strengthen links and establish clear communication protocols between relevant service providers, including Area Mental Health services, Drug and Alcohol services,   non-government organizations, Divisions of General Practice and other relevant agencies;

• To provid professional development, education and support for clinicians;

• To Iientify prevention and early intervention strategies in local areas;

• To inform consumers about the availability of resources and treatment options.

The Project Officer, Molly Galea, can be contacted at mollyg@nrhs.health.nsw.gov.au