Your addiction medicine team Every patient's individual needs are assessed at First Step, and a team of addiction medicine specialists will coordinate their efforts to find the best treatment path for you.    Doctors    Psychologists    Mental Health Nurses    What is a Care Plan?	Medical treatments First Step prides itself on achieving a careful balance between effective conventional treatment methods and effective innovative treatments.    Overview of treatment pathways    Maintenance treatments    - Buprenorphine and Methadone    - Naltrexone    Buprenorphine detoxification
Other services In addition to medically based addiction services First Step also provides an range of targeted services to assist people in getting clean and staying clean.    Hepatitis C treatment    Counselling    Employment Program     Legal Service	Other Stuff Follow these links to more information about First Step and addiction medicine.    History of the clinic    Staff and the Board    Links    Downloads    Testimonies    Newsletter    Donating to First Step

OVERVIEW

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The First Step Program is a not-for-profit organisation that operates a clinic in St Kilda, Melbourne, which assists people with a dependence (addiction) on heroin, other opiates, and other drugs. First Step provides a range of low-cost services including drug counselling , methadone or buprenorphine replacement pharmacotherapy programs (which provide a legal alternative to heroin), naltrexone tablets and naltrexone implants (which block heroin), hepatitis C treatment (a common need amongst users of heroin or other IVdrugs), a legal service and employment assistance (post-detox).

The First Step Program's vision is a community free from drug addiction and the problems it creates in people's lives. Our mission is to provide safe and effective pathways for people with drug related issues to assist them in engaging as fulfilled members of society.

First Step has a client base of over 3000 patients, and since it opened in July 2000 has carried out over 2,200 RION procedures (a form of detox from heroin or other opiates) and provided over 800 naltrexone implants (which block heroin). There are over 100 people currently on the methadone or buprenorphine programs which provide a stabilizing alternative to heroin.