New Alcohol and Other Drugs Community Prevention Service launches

The Mental Health Commission recently contracted Holyoake to deliver an Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Community Prevention Service across five regions in Western Australia, including the Kimberley, Mid-West, Goldfields, Great Southern, and South West.

Holyoake’s AOD Community Prevention Service, which launched in July 2023, will support grassroots groups to run prevention activities that aim to reduce harm from alcohol and other drugs in their local communities. 

These activities will address local needs, while aligning with the Western Australian Mental Health Promotion, Mental Illness, Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Plan 2018-2025.  

Holyoake will employ Community Engagement Officers in all five regions, to drive the establishment of local, grassroots community response committees. 

The Community Engagement Officers will provide support to each committee, including through the provision of training, access to evidence-based resources to guide best practice efforts, and assistance to apply for grant funding.

Mental Health Commissioner Maureen Lewis said: “We know the detrimental effects alcohol and other drugs can have on people’s lives, which is why it is so important to support prevention activity at the grassroots level that aligns with state-wide efforts.

“We know that local initiatives, driven by community with support from trusted providers such as Holyoake, can lead to meaningful improvements to the health and wellbeing of those communities.”

For more information, visit Holyoake Prevention Services.