EIGHT pop-up community mental health services will appear across regional Victoria to help people struggling with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Mental Health Minister James Merlino said the new package would establish 20 accessible services to support the mental health and wellbeing of thousands of Victorians.
“On top of the $225 million the State Government has already provided to support Victorians’ mental health throughout the pandemic, a further investment of $22 million will deliver fast-tracked, tailored care to those who need it, reducing the burden on emergency departments as the number of coronavirus patients grows,” Mr Merlino said.
More than 90 dedicated clinicians would manage the pop-up services, he said.
The pop-up centres, to be delivered by community health providers, will open progressively from the end of this mo, with a dedicated triage and referral hotline and website to be established in the coming days so people could start booking appointments.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people would also receive additional support with $4 million for Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations and the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency to self-determine the best, most culturally appropriate response to the mental health and wellbeing needs of local communities.
An investment of $1 million will also expand the Triple P parenting programs, supporting more than 20,000 Victorian families whose children are experiencing anxiety, while $1.2 million will boost the capacity of peak LGBTIQ+ community organisations including Switchboard, Thorne Harbour Health and Drummond Street Family Services.
“We’re not wasting a moment delivering the huge reforms the royal commission recommended for our state’s mental health services, but we know the pandemic has increased immediate demand, so we’re investing to make sure more Victorians have access to the support they need right now,” Mr Merlino said.
Shadow Minister for Mental Health Emma Kealy said the announcement didn’t go far enough to address the state’s “shadow pandemic”.
She said calls to Kids Helpline and Beyond Blue had dramatically increased since 2019 and there had been a surge in the number of mental health emergencies among young people through the pandemic.
“Without delivering additional mental health workers, all the government has done is demand that an under-resourced workforce works even harder,” Ms Kealy said.
“The priority should be fixing gaps in Victoria’s fatigued mental health workforce, which could be done by supporting the Liberal-Nationals’ commonsense plan to unlock 4000 extra workers.”
Suicides down, says report
FEWER Victorians have taken their own lives this year compared to last, Coroners Court data has revealed.
A report released on Tuesday found there were 439 suicides in Victoria up to August 31 this year, compared to 493 over the same period last year.
Numbers of suicides fell or remained steady in all age groups and genders except among girls under 18 – eight this year compared to just two in 2020.
The report cautioned that suicide rates could vary substantially from year to year and care needed to be taken in drawing conclusions from the data.
Anyone requiring urgent help can call Lifeline’s 24-hour number, 131 114. For crisis support, call Beyond Blue, 1300 224 636, headspace, 1800 650 890, or Kids Helpline, 1800 551 800.
