A NEW partnership waging war on drug addiction and alcoholism in Staffordshire will aim to prevent vulnerable people from developing problems in the first place.
A decision by Staffordshire County Council to pool budgets with Staffordshire NHS, the Safer and Stronger Communities Partnership and HM Prison Service will free up £380,000 to tackle addiction problems in the area.
County Councillor Robert Marshall, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Safety, said the decision was a logical next step and would increase the potential impact in relation to prevention and early intervention.
“Tackling the impact of alcohol misuse on individuals, families and their communities has been a major priority of the county council and public sector partners for the past three years,” he said. “There has been a lot of effective work across Staffordshire but we are not complacent about this very serious issue.”
He said the new arrangements would build on successes treating people with addiction, focusing on preventing people from developing problems that could lead to ill health or even involvement in crime and deliver better value for money for taxpayers in the county.
The funding will be used to educate young people and families about the dangers associated with drugs and alcohol as well as targeting people who regularly drink more than recommended levels but are not currently experiencing health problems.
