Bushfire aftermath: New expert to assist with mental health

The new co-ordinator for the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program in Lismore comes with extensive local expertise.

The mental health challenges the Northern Rivers communities face in the aftermath of bushfires and floods has seen a new appointment made by the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program.

The mental health challenges the Northern Rivers communities had faced in the aftermath of bushfires and floods has seen a new appointment made by the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program.

The RAMHP announced the appointment of its new co-ordinator Alex Grantham, who will be working across the Northern NSW Local Health District.

Ms Grantham has lived and worked in Northern Rivers of NSW for over 10 years, and brings to the role experience in regional development, training and assessment and community development.

With a social work background, Ms Grantham said she has a real passion for community capacity building and mental health promotion to the RAMHP role.

“I believe my experience in grant writing, community services management and mental health

research will be of particular benefit to this role,” she said.

“And I am really looking forward to making a valuable contribution to the RAMHP team.”

RAMHP spokeswoman Letitia Cross said appointing a Co-ordinator in the Northern Local Health District was imperative considering the challenges these communities face particularly bushfires and floods.

RAMHP APPOINTMENT: On Wednesday February 24, 2021, Alex Grantham was announced as the new RAMHP coordinator based in Lismore.

“We need to provide ongoing support to these communities and ensure they are educated and

informed about mental health concerns, so they are equipped to help each other,” Ms Cross said.

“If someone is experiencing a mental health problem, we want them to be able to find help and recover.

“Having someone with Alex’s skills and experience working on the ground connecting people to help, resources and information is really important for our rural communities particularly during challenging times.”

The Rural Adversity Mental Health Program is a key program of the University of Newcastle Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, in partnership with each of the rural NSW Health Districts.

Funded by the NSW Ministry of Health, RAMHP works to address the short and long-term mental health needs of rural and remote communities in NSW by connecting people to the help they need.

Ms Grantham is based in Lismore and she can be contacted on 0428 886 752 or at [e-mail]