ABORIGINAL NEEDLE SERVICE IS A FIRST

A NEEDLE exchange program at the Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health
Service, launched yesterday in partnership with Greater Southern Area
Health Service, is the first of its kind in NSW.

The new program also marks the inaugural partnership between the two
services.

Aboriginal health service chief Scott Walters said that the program
would be available to those Aboriginal drug users who were not
accessing mainstream needle exchange services that are offered at
community health centres.

The service will provide clean syringes and advice to those wanting to
get off illicit drugs.

"The program is all about prevention and making sure people do
exchange their syringes in a culturally appropriate environment," Mr
Walters said.

"If they come in to get clean needles we can reduce the occurrence of
hepatitis C and associated diseases."

The Greater Southern director of population health, planning,
performance and research, Maggie Jamieson, said the state-funded
service was a first for the region and NSW, and she was now speaking
with Aboriginal health providers to encourage its expansion.

Greater Southern chief executive Associate Prof Stuart Schneider said
the program had been brought about by the service working with
community leaders.

He said the service was looking to re-establish partnership agreements
with all Aboriginal health services within the region to enhance programs.

Aboriginal health service vice chairman Craig Taylor said the service
would celebrate its first birthday next month and the needle exchange
program was an example of how it was breaking down barriers within the
Aboriginal community.

Mr Taylor said the service had just received money from NSW Health to
appoint a consultant to undertake a feasibility study based on the
service's first year patient statistics and issues for further
consideration.

He said in the next few years the service would aim to develop a
multi-faceted medical and allied health service as well as a hostel
for the Aboriginal aged.