A new one-stop-shop for mental health support in Wendouree is a sign of more investment to come, according to the state government.
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Ballarat Community Health officially cut the ribbon on its refurbished Cooinda Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub on Tuesday morning, with local MPs and parliamentary secretary for mental health Steve Dimopoulos in tow.
Originally announced in 2017 with a $3.3 million funding commitment, the Learmonth Road centre will include frontline clinical mental health support as well as allied health specialists.
BCH chief executive Sean Duffy said the centre would be accessible to all of Ballarat and the broader region, providing individualised care.
"We know the demand's there, we know we need to continue to build services, we know we need a diverse workforce, including those with a lived experience (in mental ill-health)," he said.
"We anticipate this centre will be extremely busy, we want it to be extremely busy, that means people in Ballarat and the region are accessing it.
"What we understand in mental health is you need a combination of clinical treatment support services with trained clinicians, as well as what we call psychosocial support services, helping people recover from their illnesses, people who have moved beyond the acute phase of their illness, into what we call the recovery phase, and that's unique for every individual, so this facility has the capacity to provide both clinical treatment, and ongoing recovery and support."
The opening follows a massive investment at federal and state level in mental health, including in Ballarat, with more expected in response to the Royal Commission into Mental Health.
Mr Dimopoulos said it would be a "10-year plan" to improve services across the state, funded by a levy on businesses with a payroll over $10m and monitored by annual reports and parliamentary subcommittees.
However, despite the massive investment - the state government has promised $3.8 billion over the next four years - workforce challenges remain.
"We have to deliver a workforce strategy by the end of this year, and we're hard at work to do that," he said.
"We've hit the ground running with a couple of things, we've got a couple of courses in the free TAFE sphere for people, we've got an $11m fund to incentivise people to join the mental health workforce, and we're encouraging the lived experience community to take up workforce opportunities - I think we need to tap a whole range of people on the shoulder and say 'this is what you could do in such an important area'.
"You don't have to be a psychologist or a psych nurse - the roles and multidisciplinary teams required in mental health will be so far-reaching that it becomes more accessible to a range of people."
Mr Duffy said there would be a focus on employing people with a lived experience.
"Those people with a lived experience offer a unique contribution and support recovery," he said.
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"We'll continue to think about the whole range of disciplines in allied health - occupational therapy, social work, psychology, speech pathology, all the way to nursing and medical services.
"We need to work in partnership with universities to ensure we have opportunities for students to have rotations, to ensure we have a constant supply coming through to our services."
If you or someone you know is in need of crisis support, phone Lifeline 13 11 14.
Help is also available, but not limited, via the following organisations. The key message is you are not alone.
- Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 or beyondblue.org.au
- Ballarat Community Health: 5338 4500
- Ballarat Mental Health Services: 5320 4100 or after hours on 1300 247 647
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