A statewide specialist centre for addiction and mental health held its first in-person workshop for healthcare in the area during a session in Wangaratta on Thursday.

Conducted by the Hamilton Centre, the session was aimed at building the knowledge and skills of alcohol and other drug (AOD) and mental health workers in the area, to enhance integrated patient care for local residents.

The session, conducted by representatives from the Hamilton Centre Central and Austin and Goulburn Valley teams, focused on the role pharmacotherapy could play in integrated care, helping staff to break down barriers through conversations and effective patient pathway navigation.

It was held at the Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway, with the 23 participants drawn from Wangaratta, Shepparton, Wodonga, Mansfield and Albury.

Since its inception in 2022 - a recommended outcome of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System - the Hamilton Centre has been training healthcare workers in regional Victoria, where data shows people experience a disproportionate level of opioid harm.

According to ambulance data from Turning Point (which runs the Hamilton Centre), 34 per cent of Victoria's opioid-related ambulance attendances occur in regional areas, where per capita rates are consistently higher than in metropolitan areas.

Gateway Health, which covers Wangaratta and had representatives at the workshop, is one of the 15 regional community health services sharing in $8.4 million of state government funding to expand pharmacotherapy, emphasising the ongoing need for effective AOD and mental health services in regional Victoria.

Hamilton Centre senior pharmacist Alice Frank said regional areas had limited opportunities to access specialist addiction medicine services, and the workshop brought specialist input to the area.

She said it highlighted the treatments that could be used in primary care, including via the Hamilton Centre's Austin and Goulburn Valley Clinical team.

"Pharmacotherapy for alcohol or drug withdrawal is often underutilised for people experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns," she said.

"We know the challenges that regional services can face, so we’re excited to showcase how pharmacotherapy can support integrated care.

"By building confidence to discuss pharmacotherapy as a treatment option, local workers will be better placed to support meaningful engagement and a focus on individual choice and treatment integration."

Hamilton Centre clinical director, Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri, said people with co-occurring mental health and addiction issues deserved timely and effective healthcare no matter where they lived.

"By bringing specialist training and support directly to Wangaratta, we're helping to close the gap in access to evidence-based treatment," she said.

"Pharmacotherapy is one of the most researched and effective approaches for alcohol and drug use problems, but access remains severely limited in many regional areas.

"This workshop will build local capability to deliver pharmacotherapy services closer to home.

"When local workers have the knowledge and confidence to provide integrated care, people can access the treatment they need without the barriers that have held them back for too long."

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