In the meantime, SLHD has released the material setting out the
case for the facility presented in October and presented written answers
to some of the key issues raised as well as an updated Management Plan
for the facility. Community nominations for an Implementation Working
Group were asked for at the end of the meeting.
Central to SLHD’s argument is that Redfern-Waterloo has almost twice
the HIV rate of the NSW average and three times the national average.
According to SLHD the Hepatitis C rates in Redfern-Waterloo are 10 per
cent above the state and national average. According to SLHD, “the
Redfern-Waterloo area accounted for 30 per cent (1,055 patients over 3
years) of all treatment/interventions provided by drug health services
within the Sydney Local Health District”.
SLHD already has development approval for the ADM as it was included
in the original Redfern Health Centre DA. Attendees at the October
public meeting it was suggested they should instead place an ADM at
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. In January they advised that one had been
installed at the hospital and would commence in the near future but as
an additional facility not a substitute. There was a push for the
machine to be placed close to the police and railway stations but this
was not considered practical by Redfern Police or SLHD. Some argued that
Redfern did not have a drug problem and that the problem was in
Waterloo so the machine should be moved there, but this was met by
assurances that drug use was equally high in Redfern.
The main argument used by Health is that it is attached to one of
their buildings on a main street where it is highly unlikely people will
stop to shoot up. They operate 150 ADMs across the state. Dr Theresa
Anderson, the Chief Executive of SLHD reported to the meeting that in
all their video surveillance there had only been one incident of a child
accessing a machine and in this case they were on video being taught by
an adult who was subsequently referred to DOCs under child protection.
At the end of the meeting Dr Anderson introduced Kate Reakes, the new
Harm Minimisation Manager covering Redfern and Waterloo. Kate will not
only deal with harm minimisation issues in Redfern-Waterloo but she will
also fulfill a community health liaison role announced in October in
response to representations by REDWatch. This additional role is aimed
to help address broader community health issues, working with both the
community and other service agencies to ensure that the people can
locate the services they need and that in complex cases there is a more
coordinated approach.
This was the position taken in the print issue of SSH which went to press prior to receiving this statement from Dr Teresa Anderson, Chief Executive of Sydney Local Health District (SLHD).
For more information contact Kate Reakes 0427 550 782 or view the SLHD papers
on the REDWatch website.
Source: www.southsydneyherald.com.au/dispensing-information-while-pushing-ahead/#.URHMl2ciuN4