Needle and syringe programs at two Brimbank health agencies will expand under the state government’s $24.6 million Ice Action Plan.
The government said in June that programs at ISIS Primary Care, in St Albans, and the cohealth community centre, at Braybrook, would be beefed up with one-offgrants of $30,000.
It also promised $150,000 for part-time staff at ISIS and cohealth Braybrook.
About 100 people use cohealth’s Braybrook centre each week for needles and syringes.
Cohealth acting chief executive Nicole Bartholomeusz said last week that while financial details were still to be finalised, the funding was timely with drug use a “hidden health issue in the western suburbs”.
She said the action plan recognised an historic lack of services in the west, which meant injecting drug users having to travel long distances to receive health services, or miss out.
“Over the past two decades, needle and syringe programs have been a public health success story, reducing the spread of blood-borne viruses, such as HIV and Hep C, and treating people with the respect and care they deserve,” Ms Bartholomeusz said.
“We will be working with our consumers, the community and staff, and the Department of Health and Human Services, to plan how best to utilise the new funding to develop sustainable services [that are] responsive to the needs of people using drugs, and their families.
“Needle and syringe programs are regarded as one of the most successful-ever public health interventions and continue to deliver excellent value for every dollar spent,” she said.
