YOUTH FOCUS FOR 2025 LIMESTONE COAST AOD REGIONAL SUMMIT

Substance Misuse Limestone Coast (SMLC) is preparing to host their third Limestone Coast Alcohol and Other Drug Regional Summit this November, bringing together leaders, frontline workers and key decision-makers from across the state.

This year’s event will have a specialist youth focus, with guest speakers travelling from Victoria and Adelaide to speak at the event in Mount Gambier on November 27.
Special guest speakers for the event are Shona Reid, the Guardian for Children and Young People in South Australia, with other key speakers including Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS) CEO Andrew Bruun, WRAD Health CEO Mark Powell and Youth AOD Worker Mark Cahill.

Other presenters include DASSA’s Dr Bianca Davidde, Sam Raven from SANDAS and a special welcome from SMLC’s new Patron Bill De Garis.

The agenda will also include updates on the opening and management of the two Alcohol and Drug withdrawal beds at the Mount Gambier & Districts Hospital, which came to fruition following SMLC’s advocacy.

The summit was also designed as a ‘thinktank’ for delegates to get together to discuss major service gaps in the region and how services can collaborate to better support clients, SMLC Project Manager Sophie Bourchier said.

“Our previous summits have shown that focused discussions with the right people in the room can lead to solutions to some of the region’s more pressing AOD issues,” Ms Bourchier said.

“It’s not often that you can bring leaders, clinicians, researchers and frontline workers together all in the one room and I expect there will be some major outcomes from the day, which will then be incorporated in SMLC’s future planning.

“As the region’s peak health promotion, education and advocacy organisation, it’s SMLC’s mission to identify those opportunities and service gaps, and proactively work with local organisations, funding bodies and policy makers to seek funding to fill those needs.”

Delegates attending the 2023 Regional Summit reported a lack of ongoing funding and collaboration between services as being two of the major barriers to collaboration of Alcohol and other Drug (AOD) and mental health services.

The 2025 event has been funded in part by the City of Mount Gambier.

The Limestone Coast Alcohol and Other Drug Regional Summit will be held on November 27 at Mount Gambier’s Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre.