There are more than 5 drug-induced deaths every day in Australia and many of those could have been avoided.
The devastating impact of a person dying from an overdose has a ripple effect, not only on the person’s loved ones, but the community in which they lived. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if there was more awareness of what to do in the case of an overdose.
On International Overdose Awareness Day on 31 August, Bass Coast Health (BCH) is keen to raise awareness of the drug and alcohol services offered to the community from the Phillip Island Health Hub at Cowes and Wonthaggi Hospital.
The BCH Alcohol and other Drugs Counselling Team provides supportive, safe and confidential services for people in Bass Coast who are impacted by drugs and alcohol – whether personally or through the habits of another.
BCH offers a variety of services including non-residential withdrawal services, pharmacotherapy for people who want to stop taking heroin or pain-relieving drugs, counselling services, a care and recovery program, and a family support program. All services are free.
There are also Needle and Syringe dispensing machines at the Phillip Island Health Hub and Wonthaggi Hospital. These machines provide free needles, sharps and swabs to the community to promote safe injecting which prevents the spread of blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis.
In addition to providing individual support, BCH offers SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training) at the Phillip Island Health Hub in Cowes every Tuesday at 11am and at the Allied Health building in Wonthaggi Hospital every Thursday at 11am. Meetings are based on cognitive behaviour therapy and peer support style with a trained facilitator and run for 60-90 minutes.
People can access the services of the Alcohol and other Drugs Counselling Team by phoning the Australian Community Support Organisation on 1300 022 760 or filling in the e-referral form at https://www.acso.org.au/aod-mh-support