Plans progressing to help addicts
A second needle exchange worker will start work on Leeside in the next few weeks, it has been confirmed.
David Lane, head of Drugs & Alcohol Services in Cork and Kerry for the HSE, made the announcement this week as he gave members of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee a briefing about plans to help drug addicts in Cork city.
He hailed Frank Horgan, a HSE-employed needle exchange worker, who properly discards of used needles and encourages drug users to get help.
Mr Lane explained: “Frank Horgan is engaging with people who are caught up in addictions, especially heroin and he supports them in getting them into addiction services and to dispose of the paraphernalia they use in a responsible way. He helps them to get out of the chaos that they may be in in terms of their drug use. His work is recognised by businesses and people living in the city.”
He added: “We’re not waiting for people to come to us, we are proactive and we go to them. A second Frank Horgan will be recruited by one of the voluntary groups in the city in the coming weeks. That’s a huge development for us.”
Mr Lane also spoke about the need for minimum unit pricing of alcohol adding that while a law was passed on it last year, it is still to be enacted. He said this law would make a big difference in years to come.
He also said that there’s a few addiction treatment projects in the progress.
He said: “There’s a few projects on the boil at the moment and one is an inpatient stabilisation unit. It will require resources in terms of recruiting 35 staff and will be based in a hospital.
“It will be for people who require detox for drug or alcohol use but who can’t get into a residential detox centre through the voluntary providers because they need to meet a certain criteria in terms of being admitted. This is will act as a step into residential detox care.”
Separately, he also said that funding is in place for hire a consultant psychiatrist specialist in addiction however he warned that while the money is there but the talent may not.
“Finally, we’re looking to set up a recovery academy in Cork where we would put a group of people together, who are in recovery to share their story and to tell the world that they are proud to be in recovery. There are some very good people working in the background of this project.”