Geelong mental health gets multimillion-dollar boost

At least 16 mental health hospital beds in the Geelong region and added support for youth mental health are part of an $868 million statewide spend to fix the “broken” mental health sector.

At least 16 mental health hospital beds in the Geelong region and added support for youth mental health are part of an $868 million statewide spend to fix the “broken” mental health sector.

This month’s Victorian budget will include contain $47.8m for early intervention support for young people, $7m to support research into youth mental health at the Orygen centre, and money to established beds at the McKellar Centre in North Geelong.

There have been five teen suicide deaths in the Geelong region this year.

The funding is part of the government’s spend to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Mental Health.

Other major funding areas contained in the statewide package include:

$492m for 120 mental health beds in Geelong, Epping, Sunshine and Melbourne.

$152m for mental health services in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic;

$21.4m for the expansion of the Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement service that offers individual, intensive and one-on-one support;

$18.9m for 35 acute treatments beds for public mental health patients in private health services; and

$16m to help Victorians use their own “real and personal experience” of mental health issues to support others in need, including $7.3m for a service designed and delivered by people with lived experience.

Other funding will also include $20m towards upgrading state-owned mental health facilities across Victoria; money to add 19,000 hours for community mental health support; and $2.2m to establish the Victorian Collaborative centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing to bring mental health system experts together.

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While $4.4m will be spent to improve culturally appropriate support for Aboriginal Victorians, and $3.9m will be spent to support the mental health and wellbeing of asylum seekers.

$19.4m will be spent on the Victorian Fixed Threat Assessment Centre to support it’s staff in delivering specialised services.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the Victorian mental health system was broken.

“For far too long we’ve seen the patient instead of the person. As we recover from this pandemic, we can’t lose sight of what matters most – the health and wellbeing of our families, friends and communities,” Mr Andrews said.

Mental Health Minister James Merlino said: “This year’s budget supports the recovery of our state and the fundamental rebuild of our system, delivering new beds, more staff and dedicated early support for young Victorians.”

Originally published as Geelong mental health gets multimillion-dollar boost