A co-ordinated effort across health, police and community sectors is required to tackle the ice scourge plaguing the Hunter, according to an expert panel in Newcastle as part of the National Ice Taskforce.
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Launched by Prime Minister Tony Abbott in April, the taskforce has been visiting regional areas to hear first-hand the effects of ice and the way communities are dealing with the problem.
After visiting the Northern Territory and South Australia, the taskforce stopped at Newcastle City Hall on Tuesday for a community consultation with key members of the region’s health, law enforcement and community services sectors.
Chaired by Dr Sally McCarthy, the Medical Director of the Emergency Care Institute and a senior emergency physician at the Prince of Wales Hospital, the consultation aimed to provide the taskforce with a better picture of the impact ice was having in the Hunter.
As well as Dr McCarthy, the expert panel consisted of Dr Adrian Dunlop from the Hunter New England Health District, Raylene Gordon from Awabakal and Commander of the NSW Drug Squad Detective Superintendent Anthony Cooke.
‘‘We know there are a number of successful programs operating in the region to combat ice, including the Stimulant Treatment Program at the Hunter New England Health Drug and Alcohol Service,’’ Dr McCarthy said.
