Funding announcement to transform St Vincent’s Alcohol & Drug Service. You are here:HomeNewsroomNews Funding announcement to transform St Vincent’s Alcohol & Drug Service. 28 Jun 2023 Following the NSW Government ‘Special Commission in to the Drug Ice’, the State Government announced nearly $500 million investment in health and justice reforms as part of their response to this Inquiry. This represents the biggest single investment in evidence-based alcohol and drug services in the State’s history. In particular, the allocated funding will focus on Aboriginal people and communities, people in regional and rural NSW, and young people. Importantly the State has acknowledged that in supporting individuals with substance use disorders, and their families, a health response is required first and foremost, not just a criminal response. A position St Vincent’s has long been advocating for. Across NSW 25% of clients presenting to alcohol & drug services report using amphetamine type substances, but at St Vincents that rises to almost 35%. St Vincent’s Emergency Department has the highest number of alcohol and drug related presentations in NSW, in fact, alcohol & drug attributed presentations at St Vincent’s is approximately three times the State hospital average. The funding announcement comes as welcome news for St Vincent’s Alcohol & Drug (AOD) Service, who were successful in their proposal for allocation of additional funds to improve and expand services. The AOD Service will receive $2.3 million over the next four years to implement a new model of care. The Triage, Rapid Assessment and Collaborative Care (TRACC) model aims to meet the already high and growing demand for AOD support at St Vincent’s, while enhancing existing services to meet the needs of the complex populations that we serve. The TRACC model will set out to employ additional staff to triage clients calling the Centralised Intake line, currently responding to more than 350 calls each month. The increased staffing will result in improved capacity to engage with people at a vulnerable time in their lives, and link them to the best personalised services in a timely manner. The Rapid Assessment and Collaborative Care component of this model will facilitate a number of priorities including further education for general nursing staff in screening and assessment of inpatients with possible alcohol and/or substance use issues, to enhance referral to AOD. In addition there will be an expansion of the existing Assertive Community Management service – a service that provides outreach care coordination for clients with moderate to severe substance use disorder, who experience complex treatment needs and who have to date experienced poor engagement and treatment outcomes with general AOD services. Looking forward the team will include both Aboriginal Health Worker positions and Peer Worker positions to support with intake, counselling, service navigation, client engagement, collaborative discharge planning and referral and follow-up care specifically catering to a cohort of clients that require a culturally appropriate proactive approach. Lastly, the funds will contribute toward the expansion of the Burton Street Centre - a well-established and evidence-based clinic dedicated to stimulant and other drug treatment specifically for young people (aged 16 to 21) with moderate to severe substance use concerns, their families and significant others. These funds will afford additional individual counselling and support; including increased collaboration with established partners; and increased capacity in working with family members and support networks to promote the entry, engagement and retention of young people into treatment. The TRACC model of care is a comprehensive wrap-around service for a complex patient group that will better address the needs of priority populations such as Aboriginal people, people experiencing co-occurring vulnerabilities, families, young people and carers. The team will begin implementation of the TRACC model commencing FY 23/24, to the betterment of our staff and our Organisation’s commitment to supporting those who need it most. CLICK HERE to read the Government’s full response to the ‘Special Commission in to the Drug Ice’