Ice a ‘primary drug of concern’ in Caboolture and Bribie region, says support service

BRIBIE Island is part of an $11 million regional plan to help those battling drugs and alcohol.

Bribie Island is part of an $11 million regional plan to help those battling drugs and alcohol.

BRIBIE Island is part of an $11 million regional plan to help those battling drugs and alcohol.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said this week the Federal Government would give Lives Lived Well $3.6 million over three years for support services in Caboolture and Bribie.

This would include a day-rehabilitation service and $7.5 million for a 20-bed residential rehabilitation facility in Caboolture.

“Those funds will be available immediately from July 1,” Mr Hunt said.

Bribie Island police welcomed the move with “open arms” but Bribie Island Neighbourhood Centre family support worker Lindy McAndrew was more cautious.

“Bribie has always had an addiction problem whether it’s alcohol, drugs or gambling,” she said. “We do have some drug support services but they’re not running at the moment.

“There wasn’t a particularly high demand.

“Just because there is a drug support service available doesn’t mean people will come to them.”

Bribie Island officer-in-charge Pat Howard said: “In a larger context (the drug) ice has been a huge issue across Queensland and especially in smaller communities.

“But to have access to services like that in a small community is something of great benefit.”

Lives Lived Well clinical services manager Leah Tickner said between their offices at Caboolture, Deception Bay, Redcliffe and Strathpine, they were seeing 100 people a month, 40 per cent of which were at Caboolture, adding that Lives Lived Well had clients as young as 12 addicted to ice.

“Very young people don’t tend to come to our service voluntarily,” Ms Tickner said.

Lives Lived Well CEO Mitchell Giles said upwards of 50 per cent of the clients they saw were identifying methamphetamine as their “primary drug of concern”.

“We are experiencing case loads of twice what you’d normally see, seeing referrals of four times in fact, what we anticipated and have capacity for,” he said.

“We will immediately commence ambulatory detox services within the Caboolture region.

“People with significant drug and alcohol problems need intensive residential care and day rehabs, we will put those programs into this community.”