Health Ministry

• Sisters of Charity Health Services
• Complementary Medicine
• Ministry to those dependent on alcohol and drugs
• Ministry to those living with HIV/AIDS

Ministry to those dependent on alcohol and drugs

St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst clinic for alcohol and drug related patients was operating in the late seventies on a weekly basis under Dr Bill Hennessy. He was assisted by Miss Helen McNamara, the hospital's Senior Social Worker. The Clinic was the sole institutional response at St Vincent's to the serious issue posed by alcohol and other drug use in Darlinghurst and environs at the time.

At St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy there was a regular Out Patient Clinic conducted by Dr. Joe Santamaria. Like St Vincent's, Darlinghurst, St Vincent's Fitzroy also hosted weekly AA Meetings in the Out Patient Department.

For several years prior to 1979, the Mother Rectress of St Vincent's Darlinghurst had been lobbied by Dr. Hennessy, Miss McNamara and a Sister of Charity to provide better services for alcohol and other drug dependence. Dr. Hennessy met with strong opposition from many of his colleagues who thought that alcoholics and drug related patients were occupying too many hospital resources, and beds in particular.

As a result of a research on alcohol and drugs carried out by a Sister of Charity at St Vincent's Darlinghurst, Professor J.G. Rankin from the Addiction Research Foundation/University of Toronto (now in Sydney) became very interested. Professor Rankin suggested that a non-medical detoxification unit might be set up in St Vincent's Darlinghurst.

In order to gain first hand knowledge of the operation of unmedicated alcohol detoxification units in Ontario (Canada) it was necessary to send two Sisters of Charity to Canada. On their return, and armed with the report of their findings, Professor Rankin established at Gorman House a non-medical alcohol detoxification unit. This was the first unit of its kind in Australia. Two others were commissioned at the same time - one at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the other in Wollongong. The alcohol detoxification unit was put on the same professional level as other specialties at St Vincent's Darlinghurst with doctor and nurse equipped and government funding.

In 1985 the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) was handsomely funded by the Federal Government to set up a 24 hour telephone service. This service of Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS), under one auspice - St Vincent's Darlinghurst - is highly computerised and used extensively (80,000 calls in 1999). Victoria has a more sophisticated service with a similar mandate incorporated into Turning Point , a drug and alcohol treatment agency active in policy, advocacy and research. St Vincent's Fitzroy now hosts the Chair of Drug and Alcohol Studies for the University of Melbourne.

In 1986 the problems of alcohol and drugs were increased by the dramatic advent of the HIV/AIDS virus. Throughout Australia the laws were very quickly changed to remove the offence of carrying a syringe. Dr Alex Wodak and staff at St Vincent's Darlinghurst commenced a needle and syringe exchange at Rankin Court. In 1999 at the close of the NSW Drug Summit, St Vincent's Darlinghurst was given the go ahead by the Sisters of Charity to develop the first legal injecting room in Australia. However, the Sisters were forbidden by the Pope to participate in such a service. The Wesley Mission has accepted the mandate to operate this service.