Authors: Bronwyn Jennings, Corinne Owens, Simon Kroes, Kevan Myers
Year: 2017
Event: 2017 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Promotion, Prevention, Early Intervention
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: The Footbridge Community Care Units (CCU), of St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, provide medium to long term clinical care and rehabilitation/recovery services to consumers with serious mental illness and associated psychosocial disabilities. A review of admissions identified an increase in the number of consumers with alcohol and/or other drug issues. Concerns were related to the impact of AOD use on the individual’s recovery journey, other consumer’s recovery journey, the Footbridge environment, and the development of risk management strategies to reduce harm to all. The service wanted to increase staff knowledge about harm reduction and consulted Nexus, the dual diagnosis service at St Vincent’s, who suggested the trial of the “Before During After” harm reduction tool and associated package. The aim of the BDA is to provide a structure to conversations with consumers about harm reduction. It was initially designed by Simon Kroes. The trial commenced as a collaborative quality assurance project in September 2016. The presentation will cover what we did, what we found out and information on the BDA package.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: The audience will learn about a new harm reduction tool that is simple yet effective, and how it was used at a Melbourne Mental Health Service.
Learning Objective 2: A large number of mental health consumers use alcohol and/or other drugs. This can impact on their mental health. The Victorian Mental Health Act 2014 clearly states the need to recognise and respond to alcohol and/or other drug issues. The BDA Model is one such tool that can be used to assist clinicians to do this.
References
Drug Use in Australia: A Harm Minimisation Approach
Margaret Hamilton, Allan Kellehear, Greg Rumbold
Oxford University Press, 1998
The Department of Health, Australian Government (2004) Training frontline workers: young people, alcohol and other drugs
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/drugtreat-pubs-front9-wk-toc~drugtreat-pubs-front9-wk-secb~drugtreat-pubs-front9-wk-secb-2~drugtreat-pubs-front9-wk-secb-2-1
Victorian State Government (2015) Prevention and Harm Reduction
https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/alcohol-and-drugs/aod-treatment-services/aod-prevention-harm-reduction
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