Three SWH workers win awards for excellence

SWH Alcohol & Drug Physician, DR DAVID RICHARDS, received the highest honor by being inducted into the Alcohol & Other Drugs Hall of Fame.

This award recognises an individual who has made an exceptional difference to treatment, prevention, education, policy and/or research on the rural Victorian alcohol and drugs front.

Guests at the 2005 Rural Victorian Alcohol & Drugs Conference Dinner were told that David's tireless work in alcohol and drug rehabilitation in rural Victoria goes above and beyond his duty of care to ensure the best outcome for his patients. He has been involved in intervention, prevention and education awareness programs related to blood borne viruses like Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. He has also helped develop desperately needed networks in local communities to assist people living with chronic illness. In addition, he works with Rotary and many other charitable organisations and volunteers endless hours of his own time to community based support groups for people living on or below the poverty line.

SWH Psychiatric Services Division Dual Diagnosis Clinician, MARK POWELL, took out the Outstanding Rural Treatment Contribution Award.

This honor acknowledges the contribution of a service provider in delivering an outstanding or innovative alcohol and/or other drug treatment program in a rural community.

Mark has worked in the position of Dual Diagnosis for the past four years and has made an unprecedented difference to the working relationship between mental health and alcohol & drug treatment agencies. This has resulted in joint meetings with significant outcomes. He also supports the Western Region Alcohol & Drug (WRAD) Centre's Acquired Brian Injury Alcohol & Drug Clinician by providing much needed secondary consultation and client advocacy and has shown true commitment to challenging and providing a better service for a client group that has complex needs.

The Conference Dinner heard that Mark's invaluable contribution and willingness to look outside the square is a major reason that the Acquired Brian Injury Alcohol & Drug and Rural Dual Diagnosis sector, Victoria-wide, is now working as a team, and that this will benefit a marginalised client group via best practice.

SWH's Director of Alcohol & Drug Services, DR RODGER BROUGH, received the prestigious 2005 Golden Cogs Award for his tireless work on the Alcohol & Other Drugs (AOD) front.

He is well known and respected for his commitment to ensuring federal, state and local government policy shapers and makers understand there are vast differences between urban and rural Australia when it comes to their life experiences and the ways each 'does business' and that, consequently, one size does not fit all.

Responsible for having co-founded the highly regarded Western Region Alcohol & Drug Centre (WRAD) 21 years ago and for establishing Australia's first rural-specific addictive behaviours centre, Rodger is regarded by his peers as an inspirational role model who keeps the cogs of the AOD sector in motion - as the title of the Golden Cogs Award suggests.

The 2005 Rural Victorian Alcohol & Drugs Awards for Excellence were presented by Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Daryl Smeaton. The Golden Cogs Award was presented by its 2004 recipient, SWH Community Relations Manager, Suzan Morey.

OTHER AWARD WINNERS

Outstanding Rural Health Promotion Contribution Award: Western Region Alcohol & Drug Centre (WRAD) for its There's More To Life Expo.

Outstanding Rural Scientific Contribution Award: Melbourne University's Centre for Health & Society for its Unspoken But Everpresent: Hepatitis C in a Rural Setting project.

Making a Difference Award: BAYSA Youth Services (Geelong) in partnership with WRAD for its Youth Access Program.

Outstanding Media Contribution Award: Geelong Advertiser for its Drugs & Our Kids campaign.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Making A Difference Contribution: WRAD Acquired Brain Injury Alcohol & Drug Clinician, Sharyn Amos.

Rural Health Promotion Contribution: Glenelg Southern Grampians Drug Treatment Service's residential therapy pet, Bundy.

Rural Treatment Contribution: The Department of Human Services, Workforce Development Project.

Rural Health Promotion Contribution: South West Healthy Communities Executive Officer, Jean Wyldbore.

Photo 1: SWH Alcohol & Drug Physician, Dr David Richards, was inducted into the Alcohol and Other Drugs Hall of Fame at the 2005 Rural Victorian Alcohol and Drugs Conference Dinner. Watching on are MCs, ANEX Workforce Development Manager Dianne Schmidtke and BAYSA Youth Services Drug Prevention & Treatment Program Manager Paul Weight.

Photo 2: SWH Psychiatric Services Division Dual Diagnosis Clinician, Mark Powell, accepts his Outstanding Rural Treatment Contribution Award from Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Daryl Smeaton.

Photo 3: Delegates at the 2005 Rural Victorian Alcohol & Drugs Conference Dinner included (centre) South West Healthy Communities Executive Officer, Jean Wyldbore, who received a Special Mention during the awards ceremony for her years of contribution to Rural Health Promotion. Next to her is the Conference's Futurist-In-Residence, Sohail Inayatullah. Next to him is Melbourne University Associate Professor John Fitzgerald, who accepted the Outstanding Rural Scientific Contribution Award on behalf of Melbourne University's Centre for Health & Society for its Unspoken But Everpresent: Hepatitis C in a Rural Setting project. John was one of the project's three principal investigators.

Photo 4 (courtesy of The Standard): In 2004 SWH Director of Alcohol & Drug Services, Dr Rodger Brough, won the Best of The Best Contribution Award at the annual Rural Victorian Alcohol & Drugs Awards for Excellence. Twelve months on and his inspiring work has earned him the 2005 Golden Cogs Award.