Drug Treatment Units More Than Doubled

The Eastern Health Board is to more than double the number of its addiction
centres, from seven to 15, allowing for the treatment of 1,000 additional
addicts. Details of its plan to spend £14.25 million on drug prevention,
treatment and rehabilitation services this year were announced yesterday by
the EHB. The funding is part of the board's annual allocation from the
Government. The EHB's chief executive, Mr P.J. Fitzpatrick, said the
funding would expand drug services in counties Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare.

Dublin will get seven new drug addiction centres, three in inner city
Dublin and four in the northern and southern suburbs. The centres are
expected to be operational by the autumn, according to an EHB spokeswoman.

An emergency assessment service will be available at the addiction centres,
aimed at eliminating waiting lists for initial assessments.

The number of satellite clinics will be increased from 15 to 32, which will
allow an extra 600 clients to be treated. One of the new clinics will be in
Co Wicklow and the rest are planned for greater Dublin.

Satellite clinics, some of which are based in local health centres, are
managed by family doctors, whereas addiction centres are run by consultants.

The number of aftercare and rehabilitation units in Dublin is to be doubled
to four. One will be based in Ballymun, the other in inner city Dublin.

The board also plans to appoint four additional education officers,
bringing the total to 10. These officers work with voluntary and statutory
authorities on developing anti-drugs education services. The new officers
will be based in County Dublin. Counties Wicklow and Kildare already have
one officer each.

The board's in-patient detoxification unit, Cuan Dara, at Cherry Orchard
Hospital, Dublin, will be expanded and a 20-bed downstream unit and 12-bed
in-patient stabilisation unit will also be opened in Dublin city.

The stabilisation and detoxification programme for young people smoking
heroin will also be extended.

The board's freephone helpline and the mobile drugs treatment clinic which
travels daily from Steeven's Hospital in Kilmainham to the north inner city
and Ballymun will both continue. These services were established last year.

The number of drugs treatment places in the EHB area was increased last
year from 1,861 to 2,776.

About 3,500 drug users were treated last year at addiction centres,
satellite centres and by general practitioners. This is expected to rise to
4,500 this year.