WARWICK DRUG CLINIC UNITES ADDICT SERVICES

BRINGING together a range of treatment services under the one roof is
the philosophy behind Perth's newest service for recovering addicts,
the Warwick drug and alcohol clinic.

The services include government detoxification centre Next Step and
private agencies St John of God Health Care, Holyoake, Cyrenian House,
Wesley Central Mission and Mission Australia. General Practitioners
and mental health specialists are also on hand.

The clinic is the first of its kind in WA and opened this month in a
building behind Warwick Grove shopping centre. The State Government
intends to use it as a model for more suburban clinics, with plans for
a second clinic in Fremantle in August to service the southern
metropolitan area.

Health Minister Bob Kucera said the Warwick clinic opened first
because of the lack of drug-related services in the northern suburbs.

"We have very much been under-serviced in the northern suburbs and one
of the key recommendations from the (community) drug summit was that
this is the first place that really needed the support," Mr Kucera
said. "Other parts of Perth had services, albeit in a scattered way,
but they did have some services."

Clinic manager Wynne James said the integrated clinic would make a big
difference for clients and staff.

Clients would be directed to the service that best met their needs
without having to leave the building, while the referral process
between services would be easier.

About 250 people in the northern metropolitan area previously had to
travel to East Perth for treatment.

There are no residential facilities at the clinic - it is purely a
day-time operation - and there are no drugs stored or dispensed from
the premises.