Elaine Atkinson, owner of a residential drug and alcohol facility, says it gives clients the ability to get well and recover. Photo / Warren Buckland
Elaine Atkinson, owner of a residential drug and alcohol facility, says it gives clients the ability to get well and recover. Photo / Warren Buckland
A private Hastings-based alcohol and drug rehabilitation and detox facility is turning people away because of a spike in the number of addicts seeking help.
Elaine Atkinson, the founder of private residential drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation facility Ocean Hills Detox & Rehab, said she gets about "five to10 phone calls every week from people who are desperate".
Her centre opened in 2019 and it is struggling to meet the needs of people suffering from alcohol abuse who cannot get help from the public health system.
She said they have "little chance" of getting a bed in public facilities, which all have huge waiting lists that might see them waiting for months.
"We normally only take three or four clients, because we only have four beds," she said.
"It's a minimum of a two-week stay and they have to be committed to get well and recover, and get sober."
Clinical director at the facility and leading addictions and mental health practitioner with more than 19 years' experience, Andrew McGarrol said treating addiction should be a higher priority for the Government and society.
"We are constantly running at a deficit in regards to the cost that addiction has on our judicial system and health system. However, when someone dies from addiction the trauma of that event is everlasting.
"There has definitely been an increase in the volume of people requiring addiction services.
"Addiction is quite often a way to manage trauma and the negative emotions they are going through.
"About 75 per cent of people with addiction issues have mental health issues as well. We need more respite and detox facilities, and a continuation of care."
Chris Jenkins resigned from his job as an addiction support worker to work for charitable trust Kia Tipu Te Ora. Photo / Paul Taylor
People who were turned away from facilities like Ocean Hills ended up going to rehab services like charitable trust Kia Tipu Te Ora Trust.
Founder Chris Jenkins said about 20 per cent of people who got in touch with the trust had been turned away by other rehab facilities.
"They get told they don't meet the criteria," Jenkins said.
"People who stayed clean in prison have come out, gone to these services for help and they have been turned away because they haven't used while they have been in prison.
"What they are hearing is that they need to use again to get into a facility."
He said the trust never turned people away.
"The number of people coming to us has definitely increased but that's probably because of our model," he said.
"I believe if someone comes to us for help, the only appropriate response is 'how can we help you?'
"There is no assessment, no criteria required to come to us for help."
He gave an example of a man who used marijuana, but only minimally, and was turned away by other services.
"He was using two tinnies a week, it was such minimal use, but it was having a massive impact on his life," Jenkins said.
"He had anxiety, he wouldn't get out of his house, his mother was doing his shopping. He was turned away because his low-level use didn't qualify for support."
He said places like the trust could do with more funding.
"It makes sense to fund us. We take the load off some of these other services."
