NCDA to Focus on Prevention Education this Year

This year, the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) will focus on prevention education, public education, treatment and rehabilitation, and the strengthening of the provisions of the Drug Court, as well as a number of other prevention and treatment projects.
Minister of Health, John Junor made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2005/06 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday(May 11).
The Council will conduct prevention education through community groups to reduce substance abuse dependence and other high-risk behaviours. This aspect of the Council’s work will also focus on the promotion of early childhood psychological interventions to prevent substance abuse; the adoption of a life skills approach to prevention; the promotion of structured activity management, job creation and entrepreneurial activities; and the establishment and strengthening of programmes in public and private sector companies.
Under its public education activities, Mr. Junor said, the NCDA would deliver “a unified message in drug abuse prevention that provide family life education and health promotion,” and develop a sensitive public education programme. Where treatment and rehabilitation are concerned, the Health Minister informed, the Council would develop community treatment programmes for children and adolescent substance abusers.
Island wide detoxification treatment facilities for substance abusers will also be targeted as well as prevention and treatment programmes in prisons. This will be in collaboration with the Ministry and the Department of Corrections. Meanwhile, the Diversion of Point of Arrest system for substance abusers through the Drug Court will be strengthened.
Further, Minister Junor said, new research projects to inform public education programmes and evaluation surveys would be carried out in addition to the development of sentinel sites, training of health professionals and the development of interventions targeted at specific groups with the aim of changing behaviours. The Information Centre (special library) is to be expanded and parents will be targeted through parent teachers associations.
Mr. Junor informed that low literacy among the youth would be addressed through Project Squeaky, while workplaces will be targeted with prevention and treatment programmes for drug abusing staff.