Prioritising alcohol and other drugs

19 October 2020

COORDINARE has developed and promoted several initiatives to help improve outcomes for people with a dependence on alcohol and other drugs. These initiatives include:

New services - open to referrals 19 October 2020

In July, COORDINARE was pleased to announce Lives Lived Well and Directions Health Service will be commissioned to deliver mobile day rehabilitation services in the Shoalhaven and Bega Valley regions. The below programs are now open for referrals.

Lives Lived Well Nana Muru Mobile Day Rehabilitation and Withdrawal Service

Lives Lived Well is partnering with Watershed to deliver Nana Muru (Better Road) – a free drug and alcohol withdrawal management and rehabilitation service in the Shoalhaven.

The service is open to any person aged over 18 years, with a drug or alcohol concern and will provide GP led ambulatory withdrawal support/detox for low to moderate risk clients; a non-residential rehabilitation day program; and aftercare relapse prevention groups for those who have completed the day program.

In addition, a Community Engagement Officer will provide practical support for clients, and specialist medical and clinical support will be overseen by an Addiction Medicine Specialist.

For more information or to refer (including self-referrals):

Sapphire Health and Wellbeing Service (SHaWs) Mobile Day Rehabilitation Service

SHaWS is led by Directions Health Services, in collaboration with consortium partners: Grand Pacific Health, Katungul Aboriginal Medical Service, Bega Valley, Curalo (Eden) and Lighthouse (Bermagui) Medical Services in Bega Valley.

SHaWS is based on a holistic, harm minimisation approach and offers a wide range of services tailored to individual needs and goals including:

  • AOD screening and assessment
  • Brief interventions
  • Community-based, specialist AOD treatment ranging from early intervention to intensive support, including individual and group programs
  • Primary health assessments and care
  • Secondary mental health assessments and treatment
  • Withdrawal support (community-based in partnership with GPs)
  • Referral and in-reach support to hospital-based withdrawal services or access to residential rehabilitation services (Arcadia House or external referral)
  • Support to family members impacted by someone else’s substance use

The main SHaWS office is co-located with Grand Pacific Health in Bega, with services also offered at Katungul. For more information or to refer:

Expanding services

COORDINARE recently announced additional funding for AOD treatment services to increase staffing to support specialist outreach to areas of needs. The expression of interest closed on 30 September with service expansion expected to commence early in 2021.

Building General Practice Capacity

COORDINARE will provide support to General Practice to increase their focus on AOD by offering funding to enhance workforce capacity. Expressions of interest closed on the 15 October.

Workforce development

COORDINARE is working with RACGP and ACRRM to help promote FREE AOD training packages. Incentive payments are available on completion of the training activities, for eligible members. For more information visit:

  • AOD GP education program: RACGP website.
  • Drug and alcohol addiction online course (DAAE): ACRRM website.
  • AOD Connect: Project Echo weekly AOD case discussion (Thursday 7.30-8.30pm): RACGP website.

Aboriginal Guidelines

COORDINARE in collaboration with five other PHNs commissioned NADA to develop guidelines for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in non-Aboriginal drug and alcohol service settings. An audit tool is also available to help support the implementation of the Guidelines. For more information see the NADA website.

For more information on AOD and any of the above activities visit COORDINARE’s Drug and alcohol page.

Community, COORDINARE news, Drug and alcohol, Illawarra Shoalhaven, Southern NSW,