Charlotte Varcoe
ADULTS across the Limestone Coast will have easier access to mental health services following the announcement of a Federal Government program being rolled-out in Mount Gambier.
Announced this week by the Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin, $3.4m will be provided over the next four years to fund a free-to-low cost mental health service in Mount Gambier.
Known as Head to Health, the service will provide access to mental health support for people over the age of 25.
The local Primary Health Network is expected to consult with the community to determine where the Head to Health service will be based in Mount Gambier.
It will be one of 24 satellite services across the nation and the need for the service in Mount Gambier was brought to the attention of Minister for Health Greg Hunt through a petition which had more than 2500 signatures.
The Head to Health service will complement the work of headspace Mount Gambier which currently services people between the ages of 12 and 25.
Supporting the announcement, headspace manager Tarsh Barelds said it would give people living in the Limestone Coast an opportunity to access more face-to-face services.
“This announcement is going to have huge benefits to the community and gives an option for adult mental health support,” Ms Barelds said.
“It is also going to have a lot more impact if young adults know there is a place to go.”
She said staff at headspace had noticed when a client transitioned out of the service but still needed extra support it was difficult to identify free or low cost services.
“We have an acute service around here but there is a gap between affordability and private psychological services,” Ms Barelds said.
“Not everyone can afford private services even with incentives, especially if they need a top up or specialist care so it will be fantastic to have a streamlined approach where we can transfer somebody carefully across to other services seamlessly.”
Mr Pasin said the Head to Health services would be similar to headspace and labelled it as a massive investment into the region.
“This will be the only Head to Health service to be announced for the Barker region and it’s aim is to service both Mount Gambier and the Limestone Coast,” Mr Pasin said.
“Mount Gambier was chosen due to having the largest population in Barker and it is an important service for the region.”
He said it was a logical choice but the success was due to the petition.
“This petition showed a really strong message to the Minister for Health that Mount Gambier wanted this facility and when an opportunity presents itself, you have to take it,” Mr Pasin said.
“This facility will quickly become synonymous with mental illness.
“If a young person is feeling unwell, they are able to come to headspace and know they will get the support they need.
“Head to Health will work exactly the same but for people aged over 25 who currently don’t have a service like this available to them.”
