Mater launches new facility for adolescent drug and alcohol withdrawal
- Release Date: 29/07/2010
- For media enquiries please contact 07 3163 1524 or the afterhours on call media officer on 07 3163 8111.
Queensland Deputy Premier Paul Lucas officially opened the Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal Service (ADAWS) at Mater today (Thursday 29 July 2010).
The Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal Service has been providing a program for young people, unique to Queensland, for the past ten years.
The residential program has been operated by Mater Health Services from two houses in South Brisbane since 2000. The program offers young people (aged 13 to 18) an 11 day residential program to help them stop or withdraw from their substance use.
Queensland Health contributed $5.4 million to the new $6.1 million facility, and the Mater Foundation raised funds to contribute to the remainder of the building cost.
Queensland Health will continue to fund this important service on an ongoing basis.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Health Paul Lucas said the service was extremely important. "Like any parent with children in this age group I am extremely concerned about drugs and alcohol."
"We would all rather believe that there are no children between the ages of 13 and 18 addicted to drugs or alcohol, but the sad fact is that there are and we can’t ignore that."
"If we have the opportunity to cure them while they are still adolescents, and save them from potentially a lifetime of substance abuse, we should seize that opportunity."
Director of Mater Child & Youth Mental Health Service Professor Brett McDermott said the new, expanded facility would better meet the needs of ADAWS and was highly anticipated by the young people, their families, staff and clinicians.
"We aim to offer a comfortable, welcoming and home-like space for this youthful age group," he said.
"The purpose-built facility will be in keeping with the surrounding environment and the character of the neighbourhood."
The new facility is a three storey purpose-built development with a ground level arts and recreational 'Artspace.' This space will be used to conduct a daily group program, including vocational training programs, opportunities to use a state-of–the-art recording studio or participate in other creative activities.
"The ADAWS 'Artspace' program is specifically designed to help young people adjust to life after ADAWS and provide them with new skills and confidence during this particularly vulnerable time," Prof McDermott said.
The outreach program provides ongoing support within a community setting. Outreach can be accessed as a 'stand-alone' intervention or can be utilised before or after engagement in the residential program.
The facility will also provide living quarters, kitchen facilities, bedrooms, a health clinic, space for an outreach team, training facilities and video conferencing to assist in providing access for young people throughout Queensland pre and post ADAWS.
ADAWS has received strong and consistent feedback from young people about the very positive aspect of the program environment to their experience at ADAWS—and its vision for the new facility is to retain many of the current features of this program environment.
Young people attending ADAWS are supported by a team of people including a family counsellor, clinical nurse, state-wide referral officer, residential support workers, youth workers, administration staff, a psychiatric registrar and a team leader.
The move to the purpose-built ADAWS facility will enable the team to offer many more services. Whilst the residential and outreach programs will be expanded. The team also plan to run post-detox programs, a day program, a vocational program and health clinics.