Introduction
Preventive measures applied by concerned agencies and healthcare communities to protect public health are significant tools of socially-oriented policies. Drug and substance abuse is one of the problems that is often viewed as an acute social gap. The city of Melbourne, an important Australian centre, addresses this issue by mobilising appropriate resources, including healthcare professionals and public health oversight through specific legislation initiatives. The efforts made by stakeholders are not limited to local interventions, and relevant national regulations are also taken into account. As a result, different forces are involved in addressing this problem, and the status of the community raises the importance of working towards strengthening the quality of targeted activities.
The work to ensure a high standard of public health in the City of Melbourne is essential due to the governmental status of this county in Victoria. In recent years, much attention has been paid to community engagement activities to maintain the safety of citizens and improve overall health indicators. This report aims to describe the City of Melbourne as an administrative area of the country, present the problem of drug and substance abuse and outline the key risk factors that raise stakeholders’ concerns. In addition, relevant practices and resources will be presented, which are intended to address the issue under consideration and act as valuable preventive measures. The role of nursing staff in the City of Melbourne will be analysed in relation to the engagement in community outreach and the work on eliminating dangerous consequences for the target population. Actions taken by local stakeholders are valid and important steps that can improve the healthcare environment in the community in question and help the population break free from severe addictions.
Characteristics of the City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne is an administrative territory in the state of Victoria. According to official records, this location was inhabited by Europeans in 1835, and since then, many nationalities have migrated to this place (“History,” 2020). The location covers an area of ​​37 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 180,000 as of 2019 (“Melbourne facts and figures,” 2020). In terms of the population composition, the average age of residents is 29, and more than half of the people (about 56%) are foreign-born citizens (“Melbourne facts and figures,” 2020). These facts suggest that the local culture is not sufficiently developed to be considered a fundamental factor influencing people’s behavioural and health habits. In addition, the history of the native population has not had a significant effect on the City of Melbourne due to the separation of this location as an individual administrative unit. Thus, the assessment of the problem of drug and substance abuse within the community in question is based on the determination of those prerequisites that are not associated with residents’ cultural background.
Regarding the healthcare sector, as a key area involved in addressing the problem addressed in this report, the City of Melbourne offers a variety of healthcare services. According to the official data on the development of the administrative centre, the local municipality offers residents opportunities to improve health indicators through relevant programmes and standards (“Health services,” 2020). According to the same source, one can note “the Food Act 1984 and the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 legislation” (“Health services,” 2020, para. 2). At the same time, although in the information offered, there is evidence that stakeholders control the problem of drug and substance abuse, the problem has not lost its relevance. Public health issues imply addressing this topic as a crucial aspect of socially-oriented work. Therefore, a deeper analysis is needed to find out how exactly the initiatives in this direction are taken in the City of Melbourne. Moreover, as a critical issue, there is a need to determine what factors contribute to the risks of an increase in the number of residents with dangerous addictions. As an evidence base, relevant academic sources will be brought in for analysis.
Public Health Concern of Drugs and Substance Abuse
The uncontrolled use of drugs and other harmful substances is a common problem in many cities and countries. For the City of Melbourne, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that the area is an administrative location, and poor health indicators are indicative of ineffective healthcare management. According to Scott et al. (2016), the issue of drugs and substance abuse carries concomitant risks, for instance, mental health problems, which 44% of the Melbourne respondents noted (p. 140). However, as Horyniak et al. (2015) state, recently, various types of illegal drugs have spread among the population, including both smoking mixtures and hard drugs. All these factors explain the need to address the issue at the community level.
In recent years, the City of Melbourne has attempted to address this health concern by developing specific regulations. In particular, the “Beyond the Safe City Strategy 2014-17” is in the public domain (“Drugs and substance abuse,” 2020). This programme provides data on what services are available to patients with confirmed addictions, who are responsible for helping the population and what prevention measures are essential. Moreover, the addresses of specialised clinics are presented, which direct their activities to interact with people addicted to drugs or alcohol (“Drugs and substance abuse,” 2020). At the same time, Baker and McCann (2018) cite a survey that took place in this community in 2018 and argue that the majority of respondents found existing educational and targeted practices ineffective. The failure to address the problem comprehensively reveals the inadequacy of control policies. The uncontrolled use of substances is particularly dangerous for young people since, according to Pennay et al. (2016), at least 21% of this Australian population report smoking drugs at least once (p. 71). Due to the fact that the average age of the citizens of the City of Melbourne is 29, risks increase significantly.
The prerequisites for the issue lie in the insufficiently effective practice of control over the use of addictive substances by residents. For instance, according to Horyniak et al. (2017), strong drugs are prescribed for patients with related health problems, while follow-up care is not sufficiently developed to regulate dosages. This, in turn, entails an uncontrolled increase in the number of people dependent on hazardous substances. In their research, Ryan et al. (2018) consider the experience of homosexual men and argue that the majority of the surveyed audience confirms the use of illegal drugs as stimulants of physical attraction. This factor makes it possible to assert that there is insufficient competence in control over the distribution of drugs, alcohol, and other substances. As a result, local healthcare boards are faced with the need to attract people with addiction and use budgetary funds to carry out appropriate interventions within the community. Therefore, the problem of drugs and substance abuse in the City of Melbourne is a significant concern to address at the local level.
Social Risk Factors Contributing to the Issue
The drug and substance abuse problem in the City of Melbourne can be analysed based on social risk factors that increase concern about this issue. As dangerous drivers that act as incentives for the uncontrolled use of alcohol or drugs, McFadden et al. (2015) mention individual incentives. They are negative social interactions, poor service practices, physical discomfort caused by environmental conditions and the habits of using substances in families. At the same time, as the authors state, for several years, the number of outlets selling alcoholic beverages has increased significantly in the City of Melbourne (McFadden et al., 2015). These nuances may be interpreted as negative risk factors that induce the population to excessive consumption. Despite the measures taken by the authorities to resolve the issue, there is no downward trend in abuse. As one of the reasons, Latkin et al. (2017) call the drug user stigma, which manifests itself in people’s trend towards using addictive substances to entertain themselves. These risk factors explain the existing problems with effective control over public health.
The principles of family interaction are factors that many researchers describe as key in the drug and substance abuse issue. For instance, Borschmann et al. (2018) analyse this problem among young people of the City of Melbourne and argue that this category of the population is the most addictive. Relationships in families leave an imprint on adolescents’ conduct, and poverty along with aggression of adults are stimuli that induce deviant behaviour and the uncontrolled consumption of harmful substances. Kinner et al. (2015) look at the same issue and highlight the family history of relationships as a critical factor in the trend towards drug or alcohol abuse among young people. An early age is one of the criteria that increase the risk of addiction and, therefore, a higher likelihood of comorbid problems, including criminal behaviours, mental disorders and other problems (Kinner et al., 2015). Despite the fact that the City of Melbourne is an important administrative centre of the state, the social status of individual citizens is low, which is one of the prerequisites for addiction tendencies. Thus, negative family interactions are crucial risk factors to take into account.
Interpersonal interaction may be considered a social risk factor if a citizen approves of the interests of a social group to which he or she belongs. On the example of adolescents’ culture, Williams et al. (2015) demonstrate how peer communication can influence behaviour negatively, which is expressed in drug and substance abuse. In addition, the researchers focus on inappropriate health habits that are often associated with the uncontrolled use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs (Williams et al., 2015). These habits, in turn, lead to associated problems and poor health outcomes. Ogloff et al. (2017) remark that such minor mental disorders as anxiety or depression are risk factors. The City of Melbourne’s status as an important administrative centre explains the high employment of many people in economic, government and other spheres. High workload and responsibility are the drivers of increased anxiety, and drug and substance use can be one of the misguided mechanisms for reducing stress. As a result, family interactions, low social status, peer influence, unhealthy lifestyle and high workload are the risk factors contributing to the issue in question.
Current Policies and Resources to Address the Issue
To address the drug and substance abuse problem in the City of Melbourne, the authorities and other interested parties promote relevant practices and programmes to help the target population. A number of measures are standard and include recommendations for visiting healthcare professionals of a particular profile. Community residents can seek help from counsellors who can help set up a rehabilitation regimen and interact not only with patients themselves but also with their relatives (“Drug and alcohol counseling,” 2020). These services are provided to the citizens of the City of Melbourne, and according to the information available, there is an individual funding plan for this community (“Alcohol and other drug treatment services,” 2017). This makes it possible to address the problem locally by taking into account the specific number of people in need of qualified assistance.
In addition to healthcare employees’ help, government measures are taken to reduce the level of drug and substance abuse among the population. Petty and Young (2020) offer to draw attention to the 2017 community project aimed to minimise the number of homeless people on the streets of Melbourne. Since citizens’ low social status is one of the social risk factors contributing to the drug and substance abuse issue, addressing this problem by helping people in a poor financial situation is a potentially effective practice. As a preventive measure that also aims to reduce the percentage of alcoholics and drug addicts among the City of Melbourne residents, the pill testing programme can be mentioned. Cunningham (2019) reviews this project and notes that such monitoring can be useful in minimising drug-related emergency medical calls. Relevant services may be engaged in monitoring the quality of medicines, thereby maintaining a safe environment for patient care.
Finally, the proper organisation of patient care services is another measure that addresses the issue under consideration. In particular, as an additional resource base, the City of Melbourne’s authorities promote the activities of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF). One of the tasks of this group is supervising that allows reducing the number of cases related uncontrolled drug intake “to further reduce drug-related harm in the community” (“Medically supervised injecting centers,” 2020). Thus, the combined interventions of the authorities and medical boards are a potentially effective complex to protect and warn the population about the harm and threats of drug and substance abuse.
Nurse’s Role and Responsibilities to Address the Issue
The work aimed to help the people of the community in question to overcome drug and substance abuse implies involving nursing staff as an important link in various interventions. According to the Victoria State Government (2018), the City of Melbourne’s aforementioned street homelessness programme provides professional training for psychiatric nurses. In addition, community health nurses are recruited as staff members who can conduct research activities to identify the spread of the problem and implement the necessary assistance projects. This practice is of great importance since the engagement of nursing staff allows the authorities to address a number of organisational nuances associated with interaction with the public and focus on budgeting and control.
The participation of nurses in community-based work aimed to reduce drug and substance abuse rates among the population is a significant aspect of any intervention. According to Finnell et al. (2019), one of the main functions of these employees is to establish partnerships, which is particularly important when addressing the problems of community citizens. The researchers note that “nurses are prepared to deliver patient-centered care as members of an interprofessional team, emphasizing evidence-based practice, and quality improvement approaches” (Finnell et al., 2019, p. 2). These activities require responsibility from those involved in target interventions and define the range of responsibilities for junior medical personnel. Therefore, as Mumba and Snow (2017) state, the current trend towards strengthening the training of nurses in the field of substance abuse is justified from a practical perspective and is a prerequisite for effective education. Thus, healthcare employees are involved in various programmes of assistance and responsible for various activities, including the development of interaction projects, the involvement of the target audience and rehabilitation supervision.
Conclusion
Current practices and programmes promoted by the City of Melbourne’s government are valuable interventions aimed to reduce the drug and substance abuse rate in the community and help the population. This location is an important administrative centre for Victoria, and its status explains the importance of maintaining citizens’ health and preventing dangerous implications for personal well-being. This problem is crucial due to the growing interest in addictive substances, in particular, among the young public. There are various social risk factors that drive the issue – low social status, negative family and peer interactions, unhealthy lifestyle and high-stress levels. The concerned boards take specific measures, for instance, organising services to help people with addictions, promoting projects to reduce the level of homelessness, and control over the quality of medicines to minimize drug-related hospital admissions. In these activities, the role of nurses is significant in view of the responsibility that lies with nursing staff and a wide range of tasks they perform.
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