Tallaght has second highest level of people receiving methadone
By Aideen O'Flaherty
TALLAGHT has the second highest level of people receiving methadone treatment nationally, but this is only “half the picture” of the overall issue with addiction in the area, according to the co-ordinator of the Tallaght Drug and Alcohol Task Force (TDATF).
Figures compiled by the TDATF in their annual report, which is comprised of data supplied by the HSE and based on data supplied by the Central Treatment List, found that 731 people in Tallaght received methadone treatment in 2017, with only the North Inner-City Task Force recording higher figures.
The gap between men and women receiving methadone treatment in Tallaght during 2017 was smaller than in other areas of the country, with 502 men and 229 women receiving methadone treatment in the area.
Grace Hill, co-ordinator of the TDATF, told The Echo: “We’re one of the largest drug task forces in the country, and what concerns me most is that [the methadone figures] are only half of the picture.
“We’re working in a polydrug context and we’ve seen a rise in crack cocaine use, and this is something we’ve got to look at.”
The task force recently funded and supplied three new projects in JADD (Jobstown Assisting Drug Dependency), CARP (Community Addiction Response Programme) in Killinarden and New Hope Residential in Kiltalown Cottage, in a bid to combat the issue with crack cocaine use in the area.
Alongside responding to the increasing issue with crack cocaine use in Tallaght, the TDATF are also providing assistance for people with alcohol dependency and offering support to the families of people who struggle with addiction.
Ms Hill said: “There’s a huge gap in treatment for people with alcohol issues, and on top of Tallaght having one of the highest levels of methadone treatment in the country, we also have a plethora of issues to respond to.
“We met with Minister [of State with responsibility for drugs strategy] Catherine Byrne in May and asked her to address these issues, but nothing’s been done.
“Notwithstanding the huge opiate issue, we’re just after funding three crack cocaine pilot projects, and if the projects get the local engagement needed to roll out the programmes then we’ll need to be able to run these through 2019 too.”
Need for family supports
There is also a need for family supports in the Tallaght area, according to Ms Hill, and the need for this type of support is growing.
“An increasing number of families need support,” explained Ms Hill. “We have particular pockets in Tallaght that need family support, and we’ve to deal with an intergenerational issue in Tallaght, where there may be three generations of drug use in one family.”
However, the task force has concerns about their resources and the level of funding that may be needed to continue to carry out in-demand services in the area.
Ms Hill added: “In Tallaght, we’re doing the best we can with the resources that we have, and we’re trying to find family resources.
“As a task force, we’re calling on the minister to listen to the needs of people in the area, and to act on it not next year, but immediately.”
A spokesperson for Minister Catherine Byrne told The Echo: “In June, Minister Byrne announced a further €1million in once-off funding for addiction services.
“Of this, €290,000 will be made available to task forces to support and enhance services addressing drug and alcohol misuse.
“This money will be allocated in quarter four of 2018 with €15,000 for each Regional Drugs & Alcohol Task Force and €10,000 for each Local Drugs & Alcohol Task Force, including Tallaght LDATF.
“In addition, Task Forces will be consulted by the HSE on the provision of €710,000 for priority projects and services across the nine Community Health Organisation (CHO) areas, including CHO7.
“The provision of additional funding for drug and alcohol addiction services, including Drug and Alcohol Task Forces, must be considered in the context of the estimates process for 2019.”
