New Facility will
complement existing services
A new community health facility is to be
established to serve all the people in the Redfern-Waterloo community.
The community health facility aims to
provide a fundamental range of services for people who may not usually access
mainstream health services. This facility will include provision of services
such as health assessments, treatment and care of drug related injuries,
provision of sterile injecting equipment, drug and alcohol assessments and
referrals, welfare support, counselling and family support services.
A range of specialist visiting services
will also be made accessible. This may include mental health and sexual health
services, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis screening. Antenatal and post natal care will
be provided in collaboration with stakeholders such as Royal Prince Alfred
Hospital and local
general practitioners.
The new facility will complement the
existing services for Aboriginal people. Scheduled for completion by the middle
of 2005, the community health facility will cost around $1.5 million with an
annual commitment from the NSW
Government of $550,000.
The NSW Government decided to introduce
a community health facility in Redfern in response to repeated calls from the
community to move the mobile needle and syringe service off the Block. The
facility also responds to community requests to enhance
Issues Highlighted
Through the community consultation undertaken as part
of the review of human services in the area, the Government received extensive
feedback on health related issues in Redfern and Waterloo.
The review identified the
following health needs in the area:
- A high incidence of co-existing drug and alcohol
and mental health issues in key population groups - A high number of older residents, including
people from other cultural backgrounds - People with mental health conditions
- Significant numbers of Aboriginal people with
poor health outcomes - Young people with high unemployment levels, and
drug and alcohol issues and young parents needing additional support.
The new community health
facility will assist in responding to these needs. and will address some of the
findings of the Interim Report on the Inquiry into Issues relating to
Redfern-Waterloo. In that report. the Standing Committee on Social Issues found
that “a range of strategies are required to address harmful drug use
including abstinence-based approached. primary prevention, early intervention,
treatment and rehabilitation” (p.132).
Both the Committee and the
Report on the Review of Human Services in Redfern and Waterloo noted the urgent need for
detoxification and other drug and alcohol related services in the area. The
community health facility will
No plans for a
Medically Supervised Injecting Centre
Redfern will not be the location of a medically
supervised injecting centre and the new facility will not provide this service.
Medically Supervised
Injecting Centres are legally sanctioned health and social welfare facilities
that enable the hygienic injection of pre-obtained drugs under professional
supervision.
Sixty Injecting Centres
operating in countries around the world are considered worthwhile in managing
the public health and public order issues related to illicit drug use, however
it is not known whether they will work in Australia.
In order to determine the
success of Injecting Centres in Australia,
the Government has established a trial of a Medically Supervised Injecting
Centre in New South Wales.
There is only one location for this trial and it is located in Kings Cross. The
Centre opened for client services on 6 May 2001 and continues to be evaluated.
Mobile Needle and
Syringe Program removal
The mobile needle and syringe program which operated
at the Block in Redfern will be removed with the establishment of the community
health facility.
In addition to providing
broad health services, the facility will ensure that syringes and needles
continue to be available to drug users as part of an ongoing public health
measure to crack down on the spread of HIV and Hepatitis.
The community health
facility will also provide opportunities for referral. collaborative case
coordination, and continuity of care for
clients of the program. This will ensure improved health outcomes for the
Redfern and Waterloo
communities. Importantly, drug and alcohol users will have access through the
facility to specialists and rehabilitation services.
The cleanup of the streets
of Redfern and Waterloo
to remove discarded needles is being undertaken regularly and effectively.
Since December 2002, there has been an assertive clean up of used needles seven
days a week in the area of The Block. The establishment of the community health
facility and the removal of the Mobile Needle and Syringe Service will not
affect this. The clean-up of needles will continue.
Easy access to health
services
The new community health facility will be located on Lawson Street,
Redfern.
The Government is currently
negotiating the purchase of an appropriate property which will be refurbished
to provide suitable health services. Lawson
Street provides a central location that will
ensure that the whole Redfern-Waterloo community will be able to easily access
the services available. The entrance to the facility will be on Lawson Street.
There will be no entrance on Caroline
Lane.
Questions and Answers
Who is this service for?
The service will be provided
for all the people in the Redfern-Waterloo area.
Will this new facility mean that
funding will be moved away from non-government services?
No. It is intended to
enhance the services in the area. not replace them.
Will the facility provide culturally appropriate
services for Aboriginal people?
While the service will be
for all people in Redfern-Waterloo, consultation with the community has
highlighted the need to give increased attention to providing services to
Aboriginal people. This includes providing stronger, more consistent linkages
between all services and providing consistent appropriate and culturally
sensitive services for Aboriginal people. The new facility will provide
services that address these issues.
Why did the Government decide to strengthen the
health system in Redfern-Waterloo?
As with any community, the
population of Redfern-Waterloo needs access to a range of services and programs
which encourage communities and individuals to manage their own health and
wellbeing.
This new facility will
provide a range of primary health care services that are easily accessible. It
will assess the health problems of its clients and refer them, when necessary
to other appropriate services.