The AOD Collaborative ECHO (ACECHO) partnership involves VAADA, Turning Point, and Goulburn Valley Health. This dedicated ECHO for Victorian AOD state-funded services aims to enhance the capabilities of AOD workers in addressing substance use issues among their clients. The primary objective of these sessions is to foster a community of AOD workers with varying levels of expertise, united by the shared goal of improving the well-being, and achieving positive outcomes, for individuals with problematic substance use.
Conducted under the guidance of Turning Point, each session commences with a presentation delivered by a Turning Point expert or a related professional, focusing on a specific topic. This is followed by an in-depth case consultation, during which attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or offer recommendations based on a case study presented by one of the participants.
4th December, 2024
When less is more: Deprescribing in the AOD context
Presenter – Dr Dan Pham
Dr Daniel Pham is an addiction psychiatrist at Turning Point, currently working across its Statewide Services in Richmond and Turning Point Eastern Treatment Services in Box Hill. He undertook his general psychiatry training at St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne before going on to complete advanced training in addiction psychiatry at Turning Point. His area of interest includes the treatment of persons with co-occurring addictive and mental disorders including pharmacological, psychological and social intervention modalities.
Submit a Case Presentation to ACECHO
Case presentations by participating healthcare providers are the cornerstone of the ECHO model. Presentations are always followed by an open Q & A discussion of the case and recommendations by the hub team. To submit a case study, click Go to Form.
Go to Form
The AOD Collaborative ECHO (ACECHO) partnership involves VAADA, Turning Point, and Goulburn Valley Health. This dedicated ECHO for Victorian AOD state-funded services aims to enhance the capabilities of AOD workers in addressing substance use issues among their clients. The primary objective of these sessions is to foster a community of AOD workers with varying levels of expertise, united by the shared goal of improving the well-being, and achieving positive outcomes, for individuals with problematic substance use.
Conducted under the guidance of Turning Point, each session commences with a presentation delivered by a Turning Point expert or a related professional, focusing on a specific topic. This is followed by an in-depth case consultation, during which attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or offer recommendations based on a case study presented by one of the participants.
25th September, 2024
Title – What’s going on inside the head? Exploring the neurobiology of substance use and addiction
Presenter – Dr Anthony Hew
Anthony is an addiction psychiatrist currently working in forensic mental health and private in-patient addiction and dual diagnosis treatment programs. He has additional interests in addiction and mental health research, teaching, capacity building and clinical service development.
Submit a Case Presentation to ACECHO
Case presentations by participating healthcare providers are the cornerstone of the ECHO model. Presentations are always followed by an open Q & A discussion of the case and recommendations by the hub team. To submit a case study, click Go to Form.
Go to Form
The AOD Collaborative ECHO (ACECHO) partnership involves VAADA, Turning Point, and Goulburn Valley Health. This dedicated ECHO for Victorian AOD state-funded services aims to enhance the capabilities of AOD workers in addressing substance use issues among their clients. The primary objective of these sessions is to foster a community of AOD workers with varying levels of expertise, united by the shared goal of improving the well-being, and achieving positive outcomes, for individuals with problematic substance use.
Conducted under the guidance of Turning Point, each session commences with a presentation delivered by a Turning Point expert or a related professional, focusing on a specific topic. This is followed by an in-depth case consultation, during which attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or offer recommendations based on a case study presented by one of the participants.
20th November, 2024
The invisible supports: Families and carers of people living with substance use problems or addiction
Presenter – Dr Keri Alexander
Dr Keri Alexander is an addiction medicine specialist at Hamilton Centre and Austin Health and has many years of experience in a variety of AOD and family violence programs, including Family Drug Helpline. She advocates for people living with substance use and addiction issues, as well as their carers, to be treated with dignity and respect.
Submit a Case Presentation to ACECHO
Case presentations by participating healthcare providers are the cornerstone of the ECHO model. Presentations are always followed by an open Q & A discussion of the case and recommendations by the hub team. To submit a case study, click Go to Form.
Go to Form
The AOD Collaborative ECHO (ACECHO) partnership involves VAADA, Turning Point, and Goulburn Valley Health. This dedicated ECHO for Victorian AOD state-funded services aims to enhance the capabilities of AOD workers in addressing substance use issues among their clients. The primary objective of these sessions is to foster a community of AOD workers with varying levels of expertise, united by the shared goal of improving the well-being, and achieving positive outcomes, for individuals with problematic substance use.
Conducted under the guidance of Turning Point, each session commences with a presentation delivered by a Turning Point expert or a related professional, focusing on a specific topic. This is followed by an in-depth case consultation, during which attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or offer recommendations based on a case study presented by one of the participants.
23rd October, 2024
When too much caution can mean too little care: CAPA – Community Access to Pharmacotherapy for Alcohol
Presenter – Dr Paul McCartney
Alcohol Use Disorder is a prevalent condition, yet access to effective, evidence-based medical treatments remains significantly inadequate. This discussion aims to explore the available treatments and emphasise our collective responsibility to ensure their utilization.
Dr Paul McCartney is a General Practitioner and Addiction Medicine Specialist who has worked in Community Health in Fitzroy and Collingwood for the past 24 years. He has particular interests in addiction medicine, homelessness and mental health. Paul has also worked in the role of Clinical Mentor for the North West Pharmacotherapy Network helping to support GPs to manage opiate dependent patients and was an advisor for the GP Clinical Advisory Service. He also ran a GP addiction medicine clinic in Shepparton for seven years. Paul has provided training in opioid agonist treatment over a number of years to many GPs and other health practitioners and continues to supervise GP and Addiction Medicine Registrars in community health. Paul is passionate about people wanting help with substance use problems being able to access appropriate treatments. Paul has three children and shares a farm in Nagambie with two other families where he tends an organic orchard and nut grove and keeps bees.
Submit a Case Presentation to ACECHO
Case presentations by participating healthcare providers are the cornerstone of the ECHO model. Presentations are always followed by an open Q & A discussion of the case and recommendations by the hub team. To submit a case study, click Go to Form.
Go to Form
The AOD Collaborative ECHO (ACECHO) partnership involves VAADA, Turning Point, and Goulburn Valley Health. This dedicated ECHO for Victorian AOD state-funded services aims to enhance the capabilities of AOD workers in addressing substance use issues among their clients. The primary objective of these sessions is to foster a community of AOD workers with varying levels of expertise, united by the shared goal of improving the well-being, and achieving positive outcomes, for individuals with problematic substance use.
Conducted under the guidance of Turning Point, each session commences with a presentation delivered by a Turning Point expert or a related professional, focusing on a specific topic. This is followed by an in-depth case consultation, during which attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or offer recommendations based on a case study presented by one of the participants.
28th August, 2024
Seeking Relief: Opioids & Pain
Presenter – Dr Adam Straub
This presentation will look at a review of the intersection between pain management and Opioid Use Disorder, how to identify Opioid Use Disorder in individuals presenting with pain syndromes and develop skills in approaching and supporting individuals with these presentation.
Dr Adam Straub, an Addiction Medicine and General Medicine Physician at Ballarat Health Services, graduated from The University of Melbourne in 2008 and developed a strong interest in Addiction Medicine after working in critical care and emergency departments. He is an advocate for opioid agonist therapy and harm minimisation education, actively supporting medical students and colleagues across various disciplines.
Submit a Case Presentation to ACECHO
Case presentations by participating healthcare providers are the cornerstone of the ECHO model. Presentations are always followed by an open Q & A discussion of the case and recommendations by the hub team. To submit a case study, click Go to Form.
Go to Form
The AOD Collaborative ECHO (ACECHO) partnership involves VAADA, Turning Point, and Goulburn Valley Health. This dedicated ECHO for Victorian AOD state-funded services aims to enhance the capabilities of AOD workers in addressing substance use issues among their clients. The primary objective of these sessions is to foster a community of AOD workers with varying levels of expertise, united by the shared goal of improving the well-being, and achieving positive outcomes, for individuals with problematic substance use.
Conducted under the guidance of Turning Point, each session commences with a presentation delivered by a Turning Point expert or a related professional, focusing on a specific topic. This is followed by an in-depth case consultation, during which attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or offer recommendations based on a case study presented by one of the participants.
14th August, 2024
Youth in Focus: Addressing Dual Challenges of Substance Use and Mental Illness
Presenter – Dr Enrico Cementon
AOD disorder increasingly account for years lived with disability relative to other mental health disorders in young people and indeed all health disorders in this age group. This presentation outlines the implications of comorbidity between AOD and other mental health issues in young people and provides some guidance about the clinical approaches to young people when they present in this way. There will be references to psychosocial and pharmacological treatment principles.
Dr Enrico Cementon is an Addiction Medicine Specialist and is currently the Lead Consultant Psychiatrist at Orygen, which is a specialist youth mental health service. His experience includes inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, general adult, youth and addiction psychiatry.
Submit a Case Presentation to ACECHO
Case presentations by participating healthcare providers are the cornerstone of the ECHO model. Presentations are always followed by an open Q & A discussion of the case and recommendations by the hub team. To submit a case study, click Go to Form.
Go to Form
The AOD Collaborative ECHO (ACECHO) partnership involves VAADA, Turning Point, and Goulburn Valley Health. This dedicated ECHO for Victorian AOD state-funded services aims to enhance the capabilities of AOD workers in addressing substance use issues among their clients. The primary objective of these sessions is to foster a community of AOD workers with varying levels of expertise, united by the shared goal of improving the well-being, and achieving positive outcomes, for individuals with problematic substance use.
Conducted under the guidance of Turning Point, each session commences with a presentation delivered by a Turning Point expert or a related professional, focusing on a specific topic. This is followed by an in-depth case consultation, during which attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or offer recommendations based on a case study presented by one of the participants.
17th July, 2024
Is substance use the sign of an underlying problem, and is the underlying problem trauma?
Presenter – Shalini Arunogiri
Trauma exposure, PTSD and related mental health problems frequently co-occur with substance use disorders. This presentation will discuss how to assess and treat these common issues in contemporary AOD practice settings, with a focus on trauma-focused psychotherapy approaches.
Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri is a clinical addiction psychiatrist and researcher. She is the Clinical Director of the Hamilton Centre – Victorian Statewide Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at Turning Point, and Associate Professor at Monash University. She is Chair of the RANZCP Faculty of Addiction Psychiatry, board member for the International Society of Addiction Medicine, and NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow at Monash Addiction Research Centre. She has over 50 peer reviewed publications and over $14M in research funding, following completion of her PhD in methamphetamine psychosis. Her work focuses on innovative pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for addiction, and she is completing a
fellowship in the treatment of trauma in people with methamphetamine use disorder.
Submit a Case Presentation to ACECHO
Case presentations by participating healthcare providers are the cornerstone of the ECHO model. Presentations are always followed by an open Q & A discussion of the case and recommendations by the hub team. To submit a case study, click Go to Form.
Go to Form
