Addiction clinic to close after Auckland DHBs withdraw contracts

A clinic for treating drug addicts and alcoholics will close because Auckland's district health boards have decided to cut its main source of money.

The Care NZ clinic in Otahuhu, part of a national network, has operated for nearly 40 years and serves several hundred clients. It has been funded under a contract with the Hutt Valley DHB, and was being "devolved" to the Auckland boards.

But a source said yesterday that the clinic would close in early August because the Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau DHBs would not renew its annual grant of around $250,000.

It also has smaller contracts with other state agencies but they are insufficient to keep it open.

Care NZ chief executive Tim Harding and Manukau Mayor Len Brown said the clinic would be a great loss.

The regional director of mental health and addiction services, Ian McKenzie, yesterday promised the closure would not entail any reduction in front-line services. The three DHBs would reinvest the money in local alcohol and drug services, but he could not say where.

Mr Harding said the boards' decision was a shock, as the clinic provided a quality service at a price on average 20 per cent cheaper than the DHBs' own clinics.

The health boards had acted without reviewing the effectiveness of the clinic or assessing the impact of its closure.

"Our greatest concerns are for our clients and their families who rely on Care NZ for clinical support ... .

"We have [asked] the DHB funders to explain how they intend to support this population with such an obvious need of these services."

The Government says it wants drug and alcohol services to expand, partly because of the central role drug and alcohol abuse play in much crime.

It has doubled drug and alcohol treatment services in prisons.

Care NZ's Otahuhu clinic has a prison service and provides continuing treatment for people after their release from prison.

The clinic also operates in the courts, and with the Transport Agency to help drink drivers.

Mr Brown said the Manukau City Council had taken a strong stand on alcohol and drugs.

"We've declared a war on drugs. We've got a mayoral taskforce on drugs."

He said more options were needed for rehabilitation and treatment, rather than shutting services down.