Improving the health and wellbeing of all Territorians is at the forefront of everything NT PHN does.
We achieve this by funding and supporting organisations to provide important services in our local communities. Here are two highlights from some incredible health services in the Central Australia region. We are proud to be able to fund them and see first hand the positive impact they are having on the community and in the lives of individuals.
Drug and Alcohol Services Australia
Drug and Alcohol Services Australia (DASA) is a community organisation established to address alcohol and other drug issues in Alice Springs and surrounding areas over 30 years ago.
They provide a range of programs and services to assist in this, including the methamphetamine outreach program, which is supported and funded by NT PHN.
Vision
A healthy and safe community in Central Australia without the harmful effects of substance misuse.
Mission
To walk beside people in the community and help free them from the effects of alcohol and other drug addictions.
They intend to fulfil their mission through a diverse range of strategies, which encompass:
- Providing client driven care from crisis to independent living
- Advocating for and on behalf of clients
- Delivering preventative and continuing education
- Supporting people through outreach services
- Teaching clients skills for life and making positive life choices
- Providing supported residential services for clients
- Delivering therapeutic interventions.
This also includes outlets for recovering addicts and redirecting their focus to other areas, like the music and boxing programs they run. DASA employees Sailosi and Dion connect with the community through these services and allow them to build relationships with clients that need support and assistance with addiction.
The organisation has countless stories of success and breakthroughs in not only beating substance abuse, but also in providing prison in-reach support and community re-integration. Read this article by the ABC to see the positive effect DASA is having on people’s lives.
Care finder program - Anglicare NT
To address this, NT PHN has introduced the Care Finder Program.
Care finders offer specialised assistance to seniors, helping them access aged care and community support. Since many of them are not in the aged care system, the care finders will undertake assertive outreach to proactively identify and engage with people in the care finder target population. This includes reaching into local community (hospitals, hostels, prisons) and activity identifying and engaging with potential clients.
In Central Australia, NT PHN has partnered with Anglicare NT and Tangentyere to deliver the program, covering Alice Springs and its surrounding town camps. This initiative aims to bridge gaps and provide seniors with the necessary care.
While the program is still in it’s infancy, we know the need for this service in the community is there, the staff behind it have a strong desire to support the elderly, and they will work hard to meet the goals of the organisation. We look forward to seeing the positive impact Care Finders has in the Alice Springs community.
