Caption: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton today met with stakeholders and members of the Alcohol and Other Drug Detox and Rehabilitation Facility steering committee, including Inspector Tom Aylett from the Barrier Police, Broken Hill City Council’s Dionne Devlin, Western Primary Health Network’s Andrew Coe, Helene Fox from Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation, Andrew House from the Far West Local Health District, steering committee chair Joanie Sanderson and committee member Steve Radford.
A drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation centre is one step closer to becoming a reality for Broken Hill, following productive discussions between the Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton and the local steering committee.
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton today met with representatives from the Broken Hill Alcohol and Other Drugs Detox/Rehabilitation Facility steering committee, the Western Primary Health Network, Far West Local Health District, and Barrier Police to discuss how to turn this long-held aspirational project into a reality.
“I was pleased to be involved in this meeting, which has resulted in a significant step forward for this project,” Mr Coulton said.
“This is something that has been a real issue in the Far West for a long time.
“The nearest drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation facility is currently in Mildura, a three-hour drive away, while I’ve been told some Broken Hill residents go to Orange and even as far as Moree for treatment.
“The distance to access treatment and support for addiction is often a significant barrier to recovery for many people, so to have a facility right here in Broken Hill would make a real difference for people across the Far West.
“The steering committee has an enormous passion and drive to see this project through and I’m happy to work with all the stakeholders to help turn this vision into a reality.”
The steering committee will now be working on a proposal to seek funding from both the state and federal governments to try to progress the project.
Mr Coulton will work on securing funding from the Federal Government.