Lyndon Community will be expanding its services following a merger with Queensland not-for-profit organisation Lives Lived Well.
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No services in Orange will be lost because of the merger, with Lyndon still planning to open a women’s and children’s residential rehabiliation centre next year.
Former deputy CEO Julaine Allan has taken the role of research manager in the new organisation and said the focus was on service delivery.
“We want to grow our services in NSW,” Dr Allan said.
Dr Allan said the merger created economics of scale allowing administrative functions like payroll, grant applications and clinical governance to be shared.
“[Lyndon] is a relatively small organisation, Lives Lived Well is bigger and has greater resources. It allows us to focus on our service delivery.” Dr Allan said.
Dr Allan said the sharing of programs and skills wasn’t one way – Lyndon was interested in running day rehabilitation programs which Lives Lived Well runs in tropical north Queensland.
“It means we don’t have to develop something from scratch and it gives people in NSW more options and a greater availability of services,” she said.
“Both organisations want to see our services are evidence based and work for the people they’re intended for.
“Training programs like our drug and alcohol first aid workshop … delivered to 800 people in eight months by Lyndon.
“It’s something Lives Lived Well are keen to deliver in Queensland.”
Dr Allan said the Lyndon brand would continue for the foreseeable future.
“There’s no reduction in services delivered in the Central West or further west,” Dr Allan said.
“We’re sure it will result in more services over time.”
There are 65 people who work for Lyndon across the state and Dr Allan said no one involved in service delivery had lost their job, although some roles had changed.
Lyndon’s CEO Ed Zarnow will become NSW operations director – while Lives Lived Well CEO Mitchel Giles will oversee the merged organisation.
“We hold in high regard the support that Lyndon provides to communities across NSW and we are pleased to be in partnership with them, working with them to continue to provide a professional and compassionate drug and alcohol support service, now spanning two states,” Mr Giles said.
Dr Allan said the CEOs of both organisations met at a national drug and alcohol planning meeting and merger talks began there.
“We were approached by other organisations in the last year, but Lives Lived Well does similar work in Queensland and it was a good fit,” Dr Allan said.