ONE of Ireland’s oldest drug rehabilitation centres is calling on the Government to allocate funds to keep its mother and child faciltities open.
The call for
?¬100,000 came last month at the launch of Coolmine Therapeutic Community’s 2012-2015 strategy which aims to provide vital services to clients with drug or alcohol addictions.
At the launch Coolmine TC’s chief executive, Paul Conlon, asked Roisin Shortall, Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Primary Care, to get the Government to find the
?¬100,000 from the Exchequer to provide residential treatment for 15 women with babies who are struggling to overcome their addiction.
If allocated, the money will be used to fund the childcare staff required to look after the children at Coolmine while the women participate in the residential therapy.
Mr Conlan pointed out that Coolmine TC provides the only mother and child residential treatment facility in Ireland.
“Last year we doubled the number of mother admissions to Ashleigh House and trebled the number of children staying with us,
? he said.
“However we do not have the resources to keep up this demand. By allocating
?¬100,000 to treatment, the Government could potentially be saving over
?¬200,000 that may otherwise have been spent on prison, social services and state care services for children.
?
Coolmine TC’s 2012 to 2015 strategic plan will see the facility aiming to build further on its achievements while adjusting to the downturn in economic circumstances.
Mr Conlon says the plan is based on extensive internal and external consultations with clients, staff, and management at Coolmine as well as external stakeholders and funders.
“In order to be effective and relevant we must refine and develop all our therapies and programmes in the interest of our clients,
? he said.
“This can be achieved through the dedication of the volunteers and staff, Government funding and private donations
?.
Chairman of the Board and Management at Coolmine Therapeutic Community, Brian Ward, said that they had worked hard against the current economic backdrop to ensure that frontline services have been maintained.
“Given the reduction in our funding in the last few years our managers and staff have been very creative in finding novel solutions to the challenges involved,
? he added.
Coolmine TC plans to provide a new dedicated step-down programme and life-long aftercare initiative and expand its detoxification capacity to include community based alcohol detoxification.
A number of celebratory events and publications are also planed to mark the facility’s 40-year anniversary next year.