The state government is making sure Victorians seeking help for opioid dependence can access medical treatment closer to home – with a new pharmacotherapy grant program now open.
Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt this week announced Community Health Services can apply for their share in $8.4 million for Pharmacotherapy grants to expand the availability of this life-changing form of addiction treatment in up to 30 locations across the state.
Pharmacotherapy is the use of medication (such as methadone and buprenorphine) to combat illicit opioid dependence and is an essential part of Victoria’s efforts to reduce drug harm.
Currently around 15,000 Victorians use pharmacotherapy each day – mainly prescribed by GPs and nurse practitioners and dispensed by community pharmacies, as well as public specialist pharmacotherapy clinics across Victoria.
The pharmacotherapy grants program will support community health services to deliver pharmacotherapy services in areas of high demand or where there may be current or future service gaps.
Community health services in Victoria provide primary healthcare for people at risk of poorer health outcomes, and are well placed to deliver pharmacotherapy services to mitigate the problems that stem from opioid dependence.
Making pharmacotherapy accessible at these services will mean up to an additional 1,500 Victorians will be able to undertake this life-changing treatment – adding to the more than 40,000 Victorians accessing help through state-funded alcohol and drug treatment and support services each year.
“We know pharmacotherapy is a very effective treatment for opioid dependence – these grants will expand access to care via community health services, meaning more Victorians can get the help they need, closer to home,” Ms Stitt said.
“People struggling with addiction deserve the best care wherever they are – it’s why we have doubled our annual investment and introduced our Statewide Action Plan to change and save Victorian lives.”
