New funding for WellTrust good news for Wellington

Some of the funding that the Progressive Party secured in the coalition government’s budget process for alcohol and other drug treatment in the central North Island region has been allocated to the WellTrust organisation in Wellington, Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said today.

"A further funding injection of $100,000 has been provided, on top of the initial bridging funding that I secured for WellTrust in 2003 in order to ensure its survival at that difficult time," the Progressive leader said.

"The reason I worked hard to ensure the organisation stayed afloat then, is the same reason that I have allocated further funding now. The organization's work is invaluable to schools, courts, the police and other agencies working with vulnerable young people affected by drugs and alcohol," Jim Anderton said.

"In one sense, WellTrust has been a victim of its own success because its need for additional funding assistance has grown steadily over the past two years along with its higher workload in serving the community.

"Ministry of Health officials will continue to work with WellTrust and the local district health boards to secure continued resourcing for this valuable organisation," Jim Anderton said.