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Collaboration and Early Intervention Prescribed as the Best Bush Medicine for Mental Illness

A landmark Mental Health Roundtable will hear that better integration between hospitals, GPs and other health providers, along with meaningful community engagement, are keys to responding to the disturbing impacts of mental illness in rural and regional Queensland.

The Queensland-first meeting will bring together a range of service providers operating at the coalface of rural hardship, where outback communities are battling high rates of anxiety, emotional trauma and depression, exacerbated by the prolonged drought.

“The statistics around mental illness and its consequences in Western Queensland are well-known and complex, but they also mask some fantastic, collaborative work already being done on the ground,”
Western Queensland Primary Health Network (WQPHN) CEO Stuart Gordon said.

“Our patch covers almost a million square kilometres, more than half of Queensland, and we are working with health providers across the region to promote new partnerships and foster real innovation that will open better access to customised healthcare, better suited to the individual needs of people experiencing mental distress.”

The Central West Mental Health Roundtable, held in the heart of drought-ravaged Queensland in Longreach (17/09/18), will bring together stakeholders from Local Government Authorities, Rural Financial Counselling Services, WQPHN Commissioned Service Providers and State Government Mental Health Services.

“We know that the key to taking the fight up to mental illness in the bush is harnessing the resilience and strength of outback communities, not only through GPs and allied mental health professionals, but also through integrating non-clinical people to enhance access to the right care, at the right time and in the right setting,” Mr Gordon said.

“In addition to the many services currently commissioned by the WQPHN, people who don’t necessarily have a clinical background, but have valuable life experience, can make a significant contribution to build a more comprehensive mental health service.”

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