Pubdate: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 Source: West Australian (Australia) Copyright: 2000 West Australian Newspapers Limited Contact: +61 8 94823830 Website: http://thewest.com.au/redirect.shtml Author: Keryn Ashworth And Gareth Malpeli $1M FOR STATE HEROIN TRUST A NEW $1 million State Government trust fund will ensure Subiaco doctor George O'Neil can afford to continue offering naltrexone treatment to heroin addicts. Premier Richard Court announced yesterday a naltrexone treatment trust fund to pay for salary and related staff costs involved in treating heroin addicts at community services, such as that offered at Dr O'Neil's clinic. The news came as a Melbourne family donated $500,000 to help establish a clinic in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda that would be modelled on Dr O'Neil's. The Government trust fund is in addition to the $1 million clinical trial of Dr O'Neil's rapid detoxification method, which is under way. Dr O'Neil said yesterday the trust fund was a financial lifeline for his clinic. Of the 45 patients he treated last week, only one qualified for the clinical trial. The remaining 44 could not afford the naltrexone, so Dr O'Neil paid for their treatment himself. "For me to carry 44 patients a week who are not on the trial, and to meet their expenses, that is going to send me broke," Dr O'Neil said yesterday. "This funding will take the financial stress off for at least the next 12 months." Mr Court said the fund would be overseen by a management committee, including representatives from the Health Department of WA, the WA Drug Abuse Strategy Office and the WA Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies. "This new initiative responds to the need to provide significant support to people, such as those at Dr O'Neil's clinic, who work so hard to help manage patients undergoing this form of addiction treatment," Mr Court said. In Melbourne, retired businessman Peter White has already spent $525,000 on a St Kilda clinic modelled on Dr O'Neil's, and is heavily subsidising the price of naltrexone for recovering heroin addicts. It was the positive atmosphere at Dr O'Neil's Subiaco clinic, and the success of naltrexone in treating his daughter's addiction, which won Mr White over. "We had a daughter who was hooked into heroin, and she'd had a treatment in Victoria, but she just went off the naltrexone," Mr White said. "I'd read about George over in the west and thought he was on to a good thing and I'd been supporting him financially for a bit over a year. "Then my wife took my daughter over there, and it was just a very happy atmosphere. The other place we had taken her to was a bit like a morgue, and everyone was not exactly treated like criminals but it was not a happy place. "He's just a very enthusiastic person himself and it comes across. The patients love him. "They also had people who had been on the treatment working around the clinic." Mr White is hoping his involvement in the St Kilda clinic will diminish, with it possibly attracting Victorian Government support. It is run by Dr Simon Rose, who has spent time learning at Dr O'Neil's clinic. Mr White's daughter was doing well after kicking the habit and was overseas travelling with her sister. - --- MAP posted-by: John Chase