BENDIGO’S public drug and alcohol services are bursting at the seams, with some patients waiting up to a year for extensive support.
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The city has 19 public rehabilitation beds, ranging from detox facilities to short-term recovery centres, but the region is “crying out” for more, according to local service providers.
“The reality is the beds just aren’t available,” said Bendigo nurse Cameron Cail.
Bendigo Community Health Services’ Nova House has five beds, providing a detox and withdrawal service for up to 10 days, and the Salvation Army Bridge Program caters for a further 14 people.
However, the Bridge Program, which offers six weeks of residential rehabilitation, is restricted to adults under 30.
Salvation Army Alcohol and other drugs service manager, Juanita Davis, said older people would either travel interstate, or wait up to a year.
Those under the age bracket could wait up to three months for help, Ms Davis said.
“The reality is, across Victoria there is a huge demand for residential rehabilitation,” she said.
Recent data collected by the Victoria Alcohol and Drug Association found the state would need to more than double its number of public residential rehab beds to equal per capita NSW's.
Further, Victoria has less than half the amount of beds per capita than every state in Australia, except South Australia.
The state has 240 rehab beds, with the association saying it needs about 300 more.
It comes as the Victorian Ombudsman calls for submissions into the availability and effectiveness of rehabs for ex-prisoners, especially in regional and rural Victoria, to decide whether an investigation is needed.
Ms Davis said the Bridge Program increased from 12-14 beds in late 2015, with an injection of state government funds.
Minister for Mental Health, Martin Foley, said as part of the Ice Action Plan, $18 million was being invested over four years to expand therapeutic day rehabilitation, providing support for an extra 500 Victorians per year.
Mr Foley said this included an additional $1.3m over four years for the Northern Victoria AOD Consortium partnership with The Salvation Army and Mind Australia to deliver therapeutic day rehabilitation in Bendigo.
He said the 2016-17 Victorian State Budget provided $6 million to develop a new 18 to 20 bed drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in the Grampians region.
Bendigo Community Health Services’ director of media and communications, Rod Case, said there was no waiting issues at its Nova House facility.