The Benalla site will be one of the first of up to 60 across the state, providing a ‘front-door’ for anyone in the community to access mental health support including a range of therapies and expanded wellbeing treatments.
It will mean residents will be able to access the treatment they need sooner, closer to home and family.
Benalla has the highest per capita level of suicide in Victoria over the 2011-2020 period, as well as one of the highest per capita levels of suicide attempts presenting to emergency departments in Victoria, according to the state government.
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The Department of Health will immediately investigate options to establish services within each priority region.
This will involve a consultation process with established local providers.
The first of these local services would open from mid-2022, with all six of the initial services open by the end of 2022.
Establishing the new local Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing Services is a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
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The services will help Victorians access help in the community earlier, before they need to access a hospital or when they reach a crisis point.
The new services will work to a ‘how can we help?’ model, helping people seamlessly access the right support for them, close to home, across a transformed mental health and wellbeing system.
They will operate in partnership with reformed, area-based adult and older adult mental health and wellbeing services, and specialist statewide services – ensuring the right level of care is available at the right time.
The Royal Commission report contains 65 recommendations that establish a blueprint to transform mental health support and care to make it accessible, flexible and responsive – free of stigma and discrimination.
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The state government will implement every single recommendation.
Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said the state government was determined to build a mental health system that would support everyone – now and into the future.
“I have been working with the Benalla community for many years on important mental health issues, like so many in my home town my family has been left devastated by suicide,” Ms Symes said.
“I’m so proud of the Labor government's commitment to fixing this broken system and it's great to see that the people of Benalla and across the region will get the mental health support they need closer to where they live.”
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Around one in five Victorians will experience a mental health problem this year. Suicide is consistently the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 44.
Last year, the state government delivered a record $869 million funding boost to the mental health system as part of the Victorian Budget 2020-21.
Victorian Mental Health Minister James Merlino said this investment would continue work on the royal commission’s urgent interim report recommendations – supporting strained services now so anyone who is struggling can get the support they need, whenever they need it.
“Today we take the very first step to implement the ambitious agenda set out in the final report,” Mr Merlino said.
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“It will take time, but these new localised mental health services will provide better coverage and easier access to services for Victorians, no matter where they live.
“This is all about treating people early in the community, rather than too late in hospital.”
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing mental health issues you can contact:
● Suicide Line Victoria - 1300 651 251;
● Suicide call back service - 1300 659 467; or
● Lifeline - 13 11 14.
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