Health board set to double centres for drug addicts By Neal Ellis

The Eastern Health Board is planning to almost double the drug treatment
centres in Dublin.

An evaluation of all its drug treatment programmes is also planned,
according to a report presented to Dublin Corporation yesterday.

Presenting the report Pat McLoughlin, Deputy Chief Executive of the EHB,
said that they also intended to look at ways to reduce the amount of
prescribed methadone which ends up on the black market.

He said that at the moment there was no way of knowing whether a patient
receiving the heroin substitute from a centre could be also getting a
supply from a GP.

Mr McLoughlin, speaking to Dublin Corporation's prevention of crime
committee, said that at the moment the relapse rate for drug addicts
remains "very high".

Only one in 20 addicts who received drug treatment made a complete
recovery, a figure in line with international figures, he said.

Figures presented in the report showed that the number of drug misusers
under the age of 20 presenting themselves for treatment increased by 11.7pc
over the three years to 1995, to a total of 30.7pc.

The vast majority of drug addicts were male (78pc), had left school before
16 (60pc) and are unemployed (87pc), according to the report.

The EHB plans to open a 20bed detox unit and a 12bed stabilisation unit
as well as seven new addiction centres, adding to the six already in
existence.

The new Dublin centres are planned for Cork St, Clondalkin, Tallaght,
Blanchardstown, Finglas as well as the north and south inner city.

In addition two new mobile clinics, in Ballymun and Inchicore, are also
planned, as well as ten new satellite clinics.

The planned satellite clinics are to be located in Mounttown, Sallynoggin,
Loughlinstown, Ringsend, Crumlin, Rathfarnham, Inchicore, Blakestown,
Coolock and Corduff.

Other new initiatives planned by the EHB include a new STD clinic, three
new rehab units, the development of the Gay Men's Health Project and the
Woman's Health Project.