Isaac Mental Health Hub Opens
A critical mental health and wellbeing hub has opened in Moranbah to support residents and workers in the Isaac region to create resilient connections with vital services.
Laura Pareezer (Head of Research Operations, Wesley Medical Research), Kelly McGrath (Isaac Navicare Mental Health Care Navigator), Mayor Anne Baker & Dr Claudia Giurgiuman (CEO, Wesley Medical Research)
Wesley Medical Research have partnered with the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation to open the Navicare Hub at the Moranbah Youth and Community Centre to provide access to essential support services. Phase I of a recent mental health and suicide prevention study funded by Mitsubishi Development identified that people who lived or worked in the Bowen Basin and surrounding communities had an increasing demand for mental health services but due to access issues they were unable to get the help they needed.
Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker welcomed Mitsubishi Development and Wesley Medical Research’s commitment and said the Navicare Hub was a sure-fire step to safeguarding the region’s mental health and wellbeing. “Council has long advocated for better health outcomes for our region. The Navicare Hub aligns with this position and is an extremely welcome support service for our communities,” Mayor Baker said.
Councillor Gina Lacey said the tyranny of distance meant many Isaac communities often went without access to support services and left many feeling vulnerable and isolated. “Whether it is due to distance, lack of local service providers or high demand on existing service providers, our communities are unable to access critical support for their mental health and this new hub will make a massive difference by providing on the ground support,” Cr Lacey said.
The demand for mental health identified, has now outstripped supply and immediate support for these areas is vital to ensure sustainable community outcomes.
Council’s CEO Jeff Stewart-Harris said rural communities in the Isaac region were often reluctant to engage with services outside of region and this meant there was a higher risk of suicide and diminished mental health.
“Our communities are resilient and often don’t
seek mental health and wellbeing support as they either don’t feel comfortable with the out-of-town services or they are worried that by seeking help they may be subjected to scrutiny from the community,” Mr Stewart-Harris said.
“We are working on developing a social sustainability policy that will help our communities thrive and a key piece of that work explores
barriers to accessing support services.”
