RELATED STORY: ‘Epidemic of depression and anxiety’
PERSISTENT lobbying by Swan Hill’s mental health support sector has prompted the State Government to pledge 70 per cent towards keeping the town’s youth mental health coordinator employed for another year.
But that’s only if local organisations are able to come up with the remaining 30 per cent, says Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge.
Funding for the position was originally secured by Swan Hill District Health and Swan Hill Aboriginal Service on a one-off basis in 2012 in crisis response to the tragic suicide of a local teenager.
With funding due to expire in June and youth mental health services still in huge demand, numerous local organisations and agencies got together last year to rally Ms Wooldridge to fund the position on an ongoing basis.
This was knocked back, but she has since pledged 70 per cent of the original funding for the next financial year.
“Given these funds will now have to be taken from other areas of need across the state, the minister has indicated that this funding is contingent on other partners contributing also to funding for the position,” her spokesman said.
“The funding was always provided as limited and one-off — a brief intervention that would address community concerns at the time that there was not enough coordination of support. Given the advances made and the significant involvement and commitment of local groups and agencies it is appropriate that this role be wound back.”
The plight of Swan Hill’s troubled youth has been widely reported in the past three years, particularly figures that showed the region has triple the Victorian average for intentional self-harm hospitalisation at a rate of 4.2 per 1000 adolescents.
Despite these figures, a community campaign in 2012 for the establishment of a local mental health support and information centre, such as a Headspace site, fell on deaf ears.
For the full story, pick up a copy of Monday’s Guardian (April 14).
