advances in the effort to reduce substance abuse on our island. In keeping with its mission, the NDC plays a central role in this effort by formulating policies and priorities; by coordinating and supporting public and private programmes dealing with substance abuse and its prevention; and by serving as an information resource for the community.

These functions are all intended to enable our community to reduce the harms associated with alcohol and drug abuse. In other words, with our community partners, we are in the business of changing lives.

The NDC is in a unique position to promote change in Bermuda through facilitating strategic planning and policy development. In establishing the 1996 Strategic plan, the NDC sought and incorporated input from a broad cross-section of the Bermuda community.

This year, recent research is being used, in conjunction with community collaboration, in the development of a new Strategic Plan for the NDC. The plan will permit the NDC and its partners to identify their respective roles in the effort to combat substance abuse. It will also specify success measures that will determine our effectiveness.

In addition to the broad strategy, the NDC assists others to develop specific policies which support the Strategic Plan. For example, there continues to be progress in establishing initiatives for workplaces that are drug-free.

Working with Government, the unions representing government employees and the Employee Assistance Programme of Bermuda, we have facilitated a drug-free workplace policy for the Bermuda Government and all its departments, one of the island's largest employers.

When added to the major hotels, which adopted such a policy in 1997, two of the island's largest industries are committed to ensuring harmful substances are not used in the workplace.

There are also several initiatives under consideration for an Alcohol Policy for Bermuda. The Alcohol Policy, based on initial community consultation, will see further input from the hospitality industry and liquor merchants, police and other law enforcement groups, sports and social clubs, and relevant government departments. This policy will guide the NDC and its community partners in reducing the harm caused by the improper use of alcohol. A National Prevention Strategy is also being developed through input from more than 100 individuals involved in the addiction prevention field, including those who attended the Prevention Symposium in 1999 and members of the Bermuda Prevention Network. Member agencies of the Bermuda Prevention Network were heavily involved in the process used to develop the Prevention Strategy.

The Bermuda Prevention Network involves local agencies working in the area of preventing addictions to drugs and alcohol. Through its regular meetings the group has identified overlaps and gaps in services, has begun to share resources and is developing, through collaboration, more effective plans and processes for the future.

The NDC also supports the effort to change lives in Bermuda by supporting specific prevention agencies in terms of both funding and technical assistance.

The NDC has worked closely with prevention agencies such as PRIDE and the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (CADA). The opening of the Prevention Resource Centre by CADA means that the public has easier access to information about tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, and helps to disseminate the message of prevention.

The NDC also provides support to all of the treatment agencies: The Bermuda Youth Counselling Services (BYCS), Turning Point, Salvation Army Harbour Light, Fair Havens and FOCUS. Recently, these agencies have pulled together with the NDC to begin to enable the system to better meet the needs of the client.

The NDC was particularly pleased to assist Turning Point in establishing the new methadone clinic at St. Brendan's Hospital. This clinic is closely aligned with the prescribing physicians at St. Brendan's, as will be the new detoxification service.

The undertaking to ensure that our efforts are working includes a strong commitment to capacity-building for agencies. That is, not only do we provide financial resources and technical advice, but we endeavour to assist agencies to develop skills within their own organisations so that they are less dependent upon outside resources.

In particular, over the last year, the NDC held a series of six Evaluation Workshops designed to help agencies prepare themselves to determine the effect of their work on the lives of others. Agencies want to know if their efforts are effective in order to improve their services to the public. They also face an increasing demand by public and private donors to prove financial efficiency and programme effectiveness. Given time and assistance, agencies will be able to report on their progress in improving client outcomes.

However, as a country, how do we know if we are changing lives for the better? Findings from the NDC's recent Adult Population Survey suggest that this community is making some progress. Compared to 1995, the percentage of Bermuda's residents using tobacco and marijuana declined. Although there were no significant changes in the rates of use for the other substances, these declines are important.

They are important, not just for the NDC, but for every professional who works in the addictions field and related areas, and for every individual who contributes to the effort by reaching out to a friend or family member. All of us in Bermuda must to continue to work together to realise our goal of changed lives.

DRUGS DGS