Action on mental health
FORMER Prime Minister Julia Gillard says a revolutionary mental health initiative starting in Townsville can help address the region’s “truly shocking” suicide rate.
Speaking at the launch of the Mentally Healthy City initiative in Townsville on Thursday, Ms Gillard, who chairs the board of Beyond Blue, said the high rates of illness in the community could not be ignored.
“The overall suicide rate in Townsville and the district is 51 per 100,000 people, 2.5 times higher ( than the state average),” she said.
“We can’t let this number numb us. Instead they must galvanise us into action.”
Ms Gillard said Beyond Blue would support the Mentally Healthy City project, which aims to co- ordinate every service in Townsville to improve the entire community’s overall health.
“Our role is to work with the community to look at the Beyond Blue services … and to see how they can best integrate with this whole community plan,” she said.
“We’ve innovated services, suicide support and also coaching models for people that are starting to get mental health issues to try and make a difference before they get worse.
“But we want to try through this process how we tailor all that with a sense of geography and place so it’s a new venture for us and I’m here to lend support.”
Board chair of the groundbreaking initiative Dr Cathy Day said the plan had three phases, which would be rolled out over the next six years.
“It’s a very specific plan to work with the community, no one’s going to be left out, from the youngest to the oldest to mums and bubs at home to the people in aged care facilities, our defence families, our schools, our businesses,” she said.
“We’re even going to work with urban planners and architects about how they can intentionally include mental health aspects into their planning because we really think that the type of environment that is built can have a really significant impact on people’s mental health.”
Former Air Chief Marshall Sir Angus Houston said Townsville was the perfect place to trial the initiative. “I think this is probably a more diverse community than you’ll get elsewhere on the east coast but I think a regional community is where a program like this has to start,” he said.
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