Navicare Presents at Qld Parliament
In February 2022, Navicare’s founding organisation, Wesley Medical Research, prepared a submission for the Queensland Parliament Mental Health Select Committee inquiry into improving mental health outcomes for Queenslanders. Our focus was on rural and remote mental health.
On April 13, Navicare and Wesley Medical Research attended Queensland Parliament and presented to the committee members. We discussed how people living in rural and remote areas have been disadvantaged by a lack of health and mental health services and how Navicare has been addressing these issues in the Isaac region, by linking the community with much-needed psychology services.
We submitted an additional document at the hearing that contained more facts and figures about how many people Navicare has helped, stories of what it has meant for people to finally access mental health support, and letters of support from local services across the Isaac region who use and value the Navicare service. I would like to personally extend my thanks to the Navicare clients who allowed us to share their stories, and also to the service providers who were able to provide letters of support for this submission.
As you can see, we help a diverse range of people across a huge range of needs. What I found most shocking is that one-third of our clients are children and adolescents, and they are presenting with some very serious issues. Equally concerning is that 70% of the people we see have delayed seeking help for their mental health concerns because of the costs, and with those delays, mental health often worsens. If the costs of care are an issue for you, please be aware that, depending on your circumstances, Navicare can access several low-cost psychology options, including bulk billing. The cost of care is no longer a barrier to receiving essential mental health support. Call Navicare to discuss how we can help.
Who refers to Navicare?
A wide range of organisations value and support the Navicare service by referring new clients to the service:
Navicare has also been listed as an integral Tier 2 child and youth mental health support for the Safe Minds early intervention school mental health program (a Headspace initiative).
Navicare’s success in connecting help-seekers with life-changing mental health support has been such that it has reached support agencies well outside of the Isaac region. Navicare has received referrals from the Mackay, Whitsunday, Central Highlands, and Rockhampton Local Government Areas within Queensland, and the Hunter Local Government Area in New South Wales.
With the exception of Central Highlands, these local government areas have significantly more mental health providers and support services than Isaac, speaking to the universal need for Mental Health Care Navigation.
Below is a YouTube video of the Parliamentary session recording of our time presenting to the Committee. Whilst there was so much more we could have said, this was an excellent opportunity to highlight the mental health needs of the Isaac community, and other communities like it.