Member for Murray Damian Drum was at Echuca Regional Health on Friday to announce the ongoing funding which will see a headspace centre established in the twin towns.
The centre will provide tailored and holistic mental health support to 12-25 year olds in the region, with a focus on early intervention.
For the crowd of local mental health care representatives who gathered for the announcement, the news brought a widespread sigh of relief.
One which will be shared by desperate families across the region.
Murray Primary Health Network has been a key campaigner for the service and chief executive Matt Jones said it would fill an enormous gap in the area.
‘‘This pledge from Canberra will include capital funding for the establishment of a facility focused on youth needs,’’ Mr Jones said. ‘‘And importantly, there will also be funding for the provision of mental health clinicians based locally, out of that centre, available to youth in our region.’’
Mr Jones said a site for the new centre had not yet been chosen.
‘‘This is the really exciting part of identifying how the service will be structured and where it will be located,’’ he said.
‘‘Firstly we need the funding, we’ve got all the support — now it’s green light for go.’’
Campaspe Murray Mental Health Network Group chair John Hermans said he first raised the alarm with Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh in October last year.
‘‘We hear all the time of cases where people haven’t been able to get services locally,’’ he said.
‘‘And being a rural area we have a shortage of private practitioners, counsellors and psychologists and doctors are very busy in their practices.
‘‘After chatting to Peter (Walsh) we garnered support and had an overwhelming response from the community, with more than 50 letters of support sent in.
‘‘Peter then met with Damian Drum and Matt Jones to lobby on our behalf — and now, at last, we’re here with a new headspace.’’
In 2018 alone, 232 people aged 13-24 presented to Echuca Regional Health’s emergency department with mental health concerns.
‘‘These were just people sick enough to actually come to our emergency department,’’ ERH chief executive Nick Bush said.
‘‘So if we can get early intervention and treatments to those people, it will make a significant difference in their lives and their families’ lives.’’
With headspace centres already a proven success in Shepparton, Swan Hill, Bendigo and Mildura, Mr Drum said the new facility would help address the horrific mental health epidemic in the region’s young people.
‘‘At the very best, the funding for this headspace centre will be available from July 1,’’ he said.
‘‘If not, a small amount will be released this year, with the amount growing from there.’’
17°C