DIRECTIONS ACT

July 2010 News

saschad — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:16:05 -0500

Check out our Amphetamine Type Stimulants page and download the Skating on Thin Ice - Amphetamine Type Stimulants booklet

Skating on thin Ice
This booklet has been produced to inform young people who have taken or may be thinking about taking Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS) of the risks involved. In producing this booklet, we widely researched the subject. Much of the information came from an invaluable source of information; people who have used these substances and experienced the highs and the lows involved with ATS use.

Every weekend, Australia wide, thousands of young people attend house parties, night clubs, gigs, raves/doofs and a number of other entertainment venues. For some, this means taking drugs and becoming involved in a range of risky behaviours which include:

Poly drug use - Mixing more than one substance with another can be very dangerous for a number of reasons including overdose.
Unsafe sex - Can lead to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), pregnancy, and sexual assault and loss of dignity.
Driving while under the influence of drugs - Many people on stimulants feel over confident and invincible and think they can achieve anything, however their reaction time is impaired.
Become violent or be a victim of violence - ATS use can lead to aggression and you can easily be taken advantage of when intoxicated.
Doing something you may regret - This can relate to problems such as robbery, violence or assault, trouble with the law, and unwanted sexual activity or regrettable sex.
Other safety and health issues - Injury while intoxicated, or suffering long term health damage.

Taking risks while intoxicated can be stimulating and fun. However, it is important to keep in mind that you could be easily putting yourself and others at risk. This booklet will help people understand ATS, the risks and the findings from people who have used them.

Employment Opportunities

We are seeking applications for the following position:

Althea Wellness Centre - Clinical Nurse

We are seeking expressions of interest for the following position:

Althea Wellness Centre Reference Group - Consumer Representative

To view position descriptions and selection criteria, click here

Direct News

Our Quarterly Newsletter
To view our lastest and previous editions of Direct News, click here

Programs

Althea Wellness Centre

GP Clinic – Primary Health Care
Althea Wellness Centre has a GP who is available for sessions in the afternoons Monday through Thursday. The Althea Wellness Centre is available to all people with alcohol and other drug issues, DIRECTIONS ACT clients and their families. A Triage Nurse will assist you and take details prior to your appointment with the General Practitioner.

The GP clinic bulk bills people through Medicare with Healthcare cards and charges a small fee for those who do not have these cards in addition to the Medicare Fee. Please ensure that you bring your Medicare card with you, particularly if you will be having tests, such as liver function tests.

Secondary Health Care
The clinic works in a partnership approach with other agencies and organisations to deliver excellence in health and allied health services, so that people are treated with respect and dignity while accessing health services.

To view the Althea page, click here
Ring for Bookings (essential): 6122 8080

Maysoon
Maysoon is an Arabic word meaning ‘women walking proudly’. The program is fully funded through Health Promotion Grants and is offered by DIRECTIONS ACT for women, with young children, who are using alcohol and other drugs or who are in recovery. Pregnant women or women who have children with Care and Protection orders are very welcome.
To view the Maysoon page, click here
To view the Maysoon Brochure, click here
To view the Event Calendar, click here
Ring: 6122 8000 and ask for Ineke

Mobile NSP
Please note: The Mobile NSP trial has ended
To view the Needle and Syringe Program page, click here

Party Safe
The Party Safe Project will aim to limit the risk behaviours associated with the intake of alcohol which include:

Binge Drinking
Drink Spiking
Unsafe sex and unintended pregnancy
Violence and assault
Safety issues and first aid emergencies
Driving under the influence and car accidents

The Party Safe Project provides the following services, resources and initiatives to young people:

Party Safe information focused on being party safe and making wise decisions when drinking
Safe sex packs
Safe partying information
Bottled water
First aid courses
Referrals into counselling and youth friendly services

DIRECTIONS ACT is proud to be in partnership with St John Ambulance ACT who will provide Senior First Aid Training to 160 young people in Canberra. This workplace recognised first aid course will contain a party safe module and specifically address the issues that young people may come across. It will certainly raise awareness for safety and offer skills which potentially may save lives. The two day course runs on weekends 8:30am to 5pm.

Party Safe First Aid course dates 2010:

Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 March
Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 April
Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 May
Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 June
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July
Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 August
Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 September
Saturday 23 and sunday 24 October

You can register via any of the following:

In person at DIRECTIONS ACT, 1 Bradley St Woden 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Calling the Party Safe Coordinator on 0416 910 804
Visiting the Party Safe Bus (Check Event Calendar for locations)

To view the Party Safe Page, click here
To view the Event Calendar, click here
To view all DIRECTIONS ACT Programs, click here
For more info, call Ineke on 6122 8000

Support Groups

COMPASS Support Group for Families
The COMPASS Support Group offers families a supportive environment to discuss issues and learn strategies to manage alcohol and other drug issues.
The facilitators are experienced counsellors at DIRECTIONS ACT and COMPASS meets fortnightly 6pm – 8pm at the Woden Office.
COMPASS aims to help family members navigate through this difficult period, providing information, support and resources, assisting people to manage self care and wellbeing.
To view the Event Calendar, click here
To view the COMPASS Support page, click here
Ring: 6122 8000 ask for Bek or Barry

SMART Recovery
Smart Recovery is a program that assists people recover from their addiction regardless of the type of addiction.
This free program runs for 90 minutes and is based on four main areas:

Motivation to abstain
Coping with urges
Problem solving
Lifestyle balance

To view the SMART Recovery page, click here
To view the Event Calendar, click here
For more information ring: 6122 8000

To view all our Support Groups, click here

Launch of Althea Wellness Centre…….. a place of healing.

admin — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:01:49 -0600

On Thursday 12 March, at 9.30am, The Althea Wellness Centre was officially launched by ACT Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Ms Katy Gallagher.

Click here to view the media release
Click here to view the opening speech made by Carol Mead, Executive Director, DIRECTIONS ACT

The Althea Wellness Centre meets the needs of people affected by drugs and alcohol, or their immediate family, to access good health care. At DIRECTIONS ACT we believe that good health care is a fundamental human right and people should be able to access health care in an environment of respect and confidentiality.

Friends and guests are invited to celebrate this culmination of 2 years work with us at 9.30am and share cake and coffee afterwards. A tour of DIRECTIONS ACT is also on offer.

The Althea Wellness Centre is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing under the ATS funding and the NGO TGP funding. We thank them for their ongoing support of the centre and its programs.

More information on Althea Wellness Centre

Party Safe

saschad — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:57:00 -0600

Funded by the National Binge Drinking Initiative

DIRECTIONS ACT is proud to announce the funding of $243,000 for the Party Safe Project through a national initiative to deal with the burgeoning binge drinking issue – especially youth binge drinking for people aged 15 – 26. DIRECTIONS ACT is the only community organisation in the ACT to have received the funding, however round two of the funding will be announced shortly.

The launch to announce the funding was held at DIRECTIONS ACT on Tuesday 25th November with Senator Bob McMullan and Jan McLucas speaking regarding this national issue.

Media Releases:

Speeches:

Speech by Carol Mead, Executive Director, DIRECTIONS ACT

The Party Safe Project will aim to limit the risk behaviours associated with the intake of alcohol which include:

Binge Drinking
Drink Spiking
Unsafe sex and unintended pregnancy
Violence and assault
Safety issues and first aid emergencies
Driving under the influence and car accidents

The Party Safe Project will provided the following services, resources and initiatives to young people:

Party Safe information focused on being party safe and making wise decisions when drinking
Safe sex packs
Safe partying information
Bottled water
First aid courses
Referrals into counselling and youth friendly services

A photo gallery of the Party Safe Funding Announcement is available here

DIRECTIONS ACT Community Announcement Television Commercial on PRIME

saschad — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:53:23 -0500

Our Television Commercial has been placed on Prime Canberra's Community Service Announcement list and will be scheduled periodically and across relevant time zones.

View our Television Commercial Here

DIRECTIONS ACT would like to thank PRIME Television for its support

Maysoon program for Women with young Children

saschad — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:27:13 -0500

Maysoon is an Arabic word meaning ‘woman walking proudly’. The program is fully funded through Health Promotion Grants and is offered by DIRECTIONSACT for women, with young children, who are using alcohol and other drugs or who are in recovery. Pregnant women or women who have children with Care and Protection orders are very welcome.

This brochure contains information on the Maysoon program including:

What is Maysoon
What the program includes
Free Childcare
Other organisations asked to provide inreach services

Download the Maysoon brochure here

Smart Recovery Program at DIRECTIONS ACT

saschad — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:28:29 -0500

Smart Recovery is a program that assists people recover from their addiction regardless of the type of addiction.

This free program runs for 90 minutes and is based on four main areas:

Motivation to abstain
Coping with urges
Problem solving
Lifestyle balance

The main emphasis of the program is on self help peer support with professional assistance provided by staff from DIRECTIONS ACT when required.

The program is run at DIRECTIONS ACT, 1 Bradley St Woden, every tuesday from 10:30am to 1pm

For more information call Barry at DIRECTIONS ACT on 61228000

COMPASS for Families - September and October Meeting Dates

saschad — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:41:07 -0500

The COMPASS Support Group offers families a supportive environment to discuss issues and learn strategies to manage alcohol and other drug issues.

The facilitators are experienced counsellors at DIRECTIONS ACT and COMPASS meets fortnightly 6pm – 8pm at the Woden Office.

COMPASS aims to help family members navigate through this difficult period, providing information, support and resources, assisting people to manage self care and wellbeing. For more information ring the Family Support Counsellor on 6122 8000.

The COMPASS groups for September and October are on the following dates:

2 September
16 September
30 September
14 October
28 October

Althea Wellness Centre

saschad — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:36:08 -0500

Althea Wellness Centre

.....a place of healing

The first stage of the Althea Wellness Centre opened in July 2008 in response to the overwhelming interest and support from clients and stakeholders. While uptake is expected to be rather quiet over the next month, we should see good results after this time, as people with alcohol and other drug issues become more accustomed to accessing good health care.

The Althea Wellness Centre is set to achieve positive health outcomes for people with alcohol and other drug issues through a range of clinics. At the present time 6 clinics are offered with the option to expand the services in the near future.

Liver Clinic – for people wanting testing and treatment options for hepatitis C
Hep C Wellness Program – for people with hepatitis C
Naturopath Wellness Clinic – for relapse prevention (Cost $15 for the remedies)
Maternal and Child Health Clinic – for parents and their young children
Mental Health Clinic – for assessment of comorbidity issues
Mental Health Support – for counselling, support and referrals for comorbidity issues

Coming in September:

Sexual Health Clinic – for people 16 years and over

We thank the following organisations for their continued support

Funding to build the clinic was provided by:

Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing
Ian Potter Foundation

Our Inreach Clinic Partners:

Liver Clinic, Canberra Hospital ACT Health
ACT Hepatitis Resource Centre
Mental Health ACT Health
Alcohol and Drug Program ACT Health

For more information download the Althea Wellness Centre brochure here
Or visit the Althea page on this website here

Arcadia Aftercare Brochure now available

saschad — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:20:35 -0500

The Aftercare Program is a service provided by Arcadia House detoxification centre which aims to provide Arcadia House clients with a support and referral service after leaving detox. For many people completing an inpatient detoxification program is the first step in the process of drug use change or rehabilitation. After detox, people may choose to attend a rehabilitation service. The Aftercare worker can assist you to find the most suitable rehabilitation service for you.

This brochure contains information on Arcadia Aftercare including:

What is aftercare
How it can help
Arcadia house admissions

Download the Arcadia Aftercare brochure here

A guide to the correct and safe use of wheel filters is now available

saschad — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:39:14 -0500

This brochure contains information on wheel filters including:

Which wheel filter to use
Tips on using wheel filters
How to use a wheel filter
Wheel filter myths and facts
Wheel filters are available at Primary NSP Outlets.
There is also an instructional video displayed at the Civic NSP Outlet

Wheel Filter Brochure