Alcohol and Christchurch: The ripple effects

Alcohol and Christchurch: The ripple effects

Christchurch organisations who deal with alcohol related issues will next week meet with local Members of Parliament and other interested parties to discuss the impact alcohol is having on their staff and services.

Healthy Christchurch will host Alcohol and Christchurch: The Ripple Effects where representatives will have the opportunity to tell local Members of Parliament and other guests about some of the issues surrounding the impact of alcohol.

“The reality, or “ripple effect”, of alcohol related harm impacts on both the people and services from a wide range of organisations,” says Healthy Christchurch Chair Evon Currie.

“Healthy Christchurch is committed to raising the profile of these issues in light of the publication of the Law Commission’s Final Report next week and the potential for our local parliamentary representatives to be involved in the development of laws and policies relating to the sale, supply and consumption of liquor in New Zealand.” Among those attending will be St John Ambulance, who will focus their presentation on the role of ambulance officers in the community attending to different types of alcohol related incidents and how this impacts on service delivery and staff. “A high proportion of assaults including domestic violence have alcohol as a contributing factor. We will focus on the types of incidents that ambulance officer’s encounter, and the growing difficulties in handling such cases,” says Craig Stockdale from St John. “We will also discuss the potential risk factors to ambulance officers when confronted with those patients under the influence of alcohol.”

Also presenting will be Dr Martin Seers, Pegasus Health Board Managing Director, who will provide an overview of the role of General Practice in alcohol harm reduction and Pegasus Health’s submission to the Law Commission’s review on the sale of liquor. Representatives from the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury District Health Board’s Emergency Department, the Christchurch Tri-agency, Ngai Tahu and the Christchurch Police will also be presenting.

Additional speakers will include Doug Sellman from the National Addiction Centre, University of Otago, Dean Peter Joyce University of Otago, Christchurch and Gerard Vaughan, CEO Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand.

ENDS

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