A new federally funded mental health program is being rolled out in Melbourne’s north to help people with severe and sustained mental illness navigate their way through the health and welfare systems.
The Northern Melbourne Medicare Local (NMML), through the Partners In Recovery (PIR) program, is offering co-ordinated support for people who have mental illness with complex needs.
NMML has contracted 16 clinical and community support providers in the northern region, including Dianella and Merri Community Health Services, Mind Australia, Neami National and the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, to deliver the program.
It features “support facilitators”, who are paired with each PIR participant. Their role is to co-ordinate the individual’s care, be it mental health care such as managing GP and specialist appointments, or housing support or welfare issues.
A forum was held at South Morang last Tuesday when program organisers spoke to an audience of about 80 people on health reform, drug and alcohol addiction, and development of the PIR program.
PIR program manager Kieran Halloran said the goal was to help 700 people in Melbourne’s north by 2016.
“One of the problems with the mental health support system is that there are lots of services, but a lot are difficult to access and this was identified by peak mental health bodies,” Mr Halloran said.
Greensborough resident Debbie, 47, was one of the first 100 to sign up to the program.
She is battling severe depression, psychosis and obsessive-compulsive disorder, byproducts of a childhood trauma. Since joining the program the mother of three feels reinvigorated and plans to go back to studying and to try to gain a job as a librarian. “It’s been really empowering to know my support worker leads the care I get.”
