An exciting new project has commenced to gather information and provide advice in the alcohol and other drug sector. The project has three priorities:

1.     Documenting current AOD prevention and treatment systems in Australia

2.     Understanding pathways through care

3.     Describing a specialist AOD system in terms of interventions and linkages with primary / community care

The project will:

• Describe the current alcohol and other drug systems in each state and territory
• Link data from AOD, ED, and hospitals to examine AOD client experiences with health services and systems
• Interview clients that are new to an AOD service, to explore their journey into, through, and following treatment along with their contact with other systems and their views on treatment
• Critically analyse the information obtained to provide direction for system design in the context of national health reform

Major benefits of the project are the exploration of current AOD systems in Australia and people’s interface with health and other systems and the use of this information to provide critical comment about the future of AOD service provision in the context of national health reform.

Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre, together with the National Drug Research Institute, the Alcohol and Drug Council of Australia, and Monash University, have been engaged by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing to undertake this project.

Turning Point: Dr Lynda Berends, Prof Robin Room, Prof Dan Lubman, A/Prof David Best, Dr Belinda Lloyd, Dr Michael Savic, Ms Janette Mugavin, Ms Dina Eleftheriadis, Mr Andrew Larner
NDRI: Dr Julia Butt, Dr Sue Carruthers, Prof Steve Allsop
ADCA: Mr Alan Capp, Ms Meredythe Crane
Monash University: Dr Penny Buykx

Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing

Dr Lynda Berends 
lynda.berends@turningpoint.org.au                      
+61 3 8413 8448