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Latrobe Regional Hospital expands Mobile Targeted Assertive Outreach mental health team

Government investment for services and support for young Victorians.

By news@gippsland - 9th December 2021 - Back to News

The Andrews Labor Government is making sure no young Victorian experiencing mental health concerns falls through the cracks, with a huge investment in targeted mental health outreach to provide the personalised care children and young adults need.

Investment from the government will help continue improvements on the mental health system to protect and support the young Victorians' mental health

Providing specialised support

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing announced that Latrobe Regional Hospital will share in $16.3 million to expand the Mobile Targeted Assertive Outreach mental health teams statewide, supporting more than 560 extra young Victorians every year.

These vital outreach teams provide specialised support to Victorians aged 12 to 25 who are particularly vulnerable or at risk of disengaging with the system, reaching out to provide intensive one-on-one care in a setting young people feel comfortable with, and are likely to continue to engage in.

The teams work to identify and treat mental illness in young people, support and educate their families, minimise interruption to their educational and social lives, and support them to manage their ongoing health and recovery.

Investment to mental health and well being

The extra support will enable the Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service at Latrobe Regional Hospital to reach more young Victorians in crisis each year - ensuring young people in the Latrobe Valley can be supported with the specialised care they need, in their own communities.

The mobile teams are staffed by a variety of workers including psychiatric nurses, doctors, family and occupational therapists, psychologists and social workers - and importantly include youth peer workers with lived experience of the mental health system, who can connect to at-risk young people more effectively than traditional clinicians.

This outreach investment builds on a record $300 million delivered in the Victorian Budget 2021/22 to boost the capacity of all Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services across Victoria over four years, providing support to more than 2,300 extra young Victorians aged 0 to 25 and their families every single year.

Meeting the needs of young Victorians

To build a new mental health and wellbeing system from the ground up that meets the needs of all Victorians, this year's Budget invested a record $3.8 billion in mental health and wellbeing services and support.

This unprecedented investment recognises how critical the early years are in promoting good mental health for life, with $842 million for children and young people so they are supported as soon as they need mental health care.

Services and support for young Victorians

Minister for Mental Health James Merlino said, "I want every young Victorian who is struggling with their mental health to know that support is available - we're delivering extra services right across the state, tailored to young people, so nobody needs to suffer in silence."

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing said, "This is a profound investment in young Victorians across the Latrobe Valley region with complex needs - with outreach support to make sure nobody falls through the cracks of our mental health system, no matter what their life circumstances are."

Pictures from VicHealth website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com