The Hamilton Centre is launched!

This Centre came from renewed investment by the Victorian Government into integrated care for people living with mental illness and substance use or addiction. This was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System (2021), recognising that many people with co-occurring problems had difficulties accessing holistic care and navigating a complex treatment system.

The Hamilton Centre Clinical Network will deliver clinical addiction specialist care across the state of Victoria. The initial services forming this collaborative network are St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Eastern Health, Western Health, Austin Health and Goulburn Valley Health. These services will provide addiction specialist care to consumers with co-occurring mental health and the highest-intensity addiction needs, initially supporting tertiary Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services to deliver integrated care for consumers. Services will provide primary and secondary consultations, supporting clinicians as well as offering in-person and telehealth appointments. Services will be delivered across metropolitan and rural and regional Victoria.

The Hamilton Centre is named in honour of Professor Margaret Hamilton AO, the founding director of Turning Point. Professor Hamilton has more than 50 years of experience in the drug and alcohol field. Her background is in social work and public health, and her broad range of work has included alcohol and drug epidemiology and policy research.

Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri is Clinical Director of the Hamilton Centre, bringing a wealth of experience as an addiction psychiatrist and clinician-researcher.

Quote attributable to Associate Professor Arunogiri

“Time and time again we provide support to so many Victorians and their families living with addiction and mental illness, who have shared their stories of falling through the cracks in the system. We hear too often from health professionals and workers, who struggle to navigate the system themselves and can’t get their patients the services they need. Integrated care has often been referred to as a wicked problem, but through the Hamilton Centre, we are excited to harness the energy, enthusiasm and ingenuity this investment will bring to work together towards solutions.”

For more information please see:

• Frequently Asked Questions About the Hamilton Centre
• Frequently Asked Questions About Hamilton Centre Education and Training
• and Hamilton Centre Catchments FAQ(pdf)