Strategic Alliances: Facing The Challenges Together In Rural and Remote Mental Health


Partnerships are vital in the interaction between mental health service providers, particularly in rural and remote locations. GPs in rural communities are often the first port of call and the gateway to other parts of the health care system. So to whom do they refer people? What are constructive ways in which the health care system can effectively work together in partnership to service the mental health needs of our rural and remote population? And how does this translate on the ground to your particular community? 

 

Mental Health Services in Rural and Remote Areas (MHSRRA) is one such program that provides funds to non-government health organisations such as:

 

"Medicare Locals, Aboriginal Medical Services and The Royal Flying Doctor Service to deliver mental health services in rural and remote communities that would otherwise have little or no access to these services particularly in areas where access to Medicare-subsidised mental health services is low."
(Australian Govt)

 

The services are delivered by social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, mental health nurses, Aboriginal health workers and Aboriginal mental health workers.

 

"A major objective of the program is to provide local solutions to local problems. This includes flexibility to accommodate the needs of geographically, culturally and linguistically diverse populations in rural and remote areas of Australia.

 

The MHSRRA program strives to give more people with diagnosable mild to moderate mental illness access to mental health services in rural and remote areas.

 

The 5th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium will explore the challenges and effectiveness of alliances between government, NGO’s , and communities through presentations and evaluations of partnership initiatives .  It will also examine “diagnosable mild to moderate mental illness” in regional, rural and remote Australia.

 

Symposium 2012

 

The Honourable Mark Butler MP – Minister for Mental Health & Ageing and The Honourable John Hill MP, Minister for Health and Ageing and Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, SA Government delivered keynote addresses during the 2012 symposium.

 

MentalHealthProceedingsConference Book of Proceedings - All delegates will have access to the book of proceedings containing selected conference papers.  The 2012 Conference Proceedings can be downloaded here.

 

Invited & Confirmed Keynote Speakers

Prof Pat Dudgeon will deliver Opening Keynote AddressPatDudgeon.

 

Prof Pat Dudgeon is acknowledged as Australia's first Indigenous Psychologist. From the Bardi people of the Kimberley, Pat is known for her passionate work in psychology and Indigenous issues and her leadership in Indigenous higher education.

Pat serves on the Australian Govt's National Mental Health Commission, is the Chair of Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA), a member of the Indigenous Strategies Working Group, a Research Fellow and Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia and a member of the Mental Health Expert Working Group.

 

 

Prof Hal Swerissen, Faculty of Health Sciences, Latrobe University. (confirmed)
Professor Swerissen is an expert on health policy and program development and was one of the key designers of the Commonwealth COAG health reform process . He has been a senior ministerial advisor on health for the Commonwealth Government and ministerial advisor to the Victorian Government on community services.


Prof Ian Anderson, Foundation Chair of Indigenous Higher Education, University of Melbourne (invited).
Professor Anderson's background is in medicine and social sciences and he worked in Aboriginal Health for more than 25 years as a health worker, educator, general practitioner, policy maker and academic. He has written widely on widely Indigenous health and development and maintains an active research portfolio.

 

Prof James A Dunbar MD, Director of Greater Green Triangle University Department of Rural Health, Flinders University and Deakin University (confirmed)

Professor Dunbar is the inaugural Director of the GGT UDRH since 2001, was previously Medical Director at Borders Primary Care National Health Services Trust in the United Kingdom. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Rural Health and the author or editor of several books.

 

Methuen Morgan BPsych. (confirmed) Methuen was awarded the 2010 UNE Australian Psychology Prize for his thesis “Future Time, Environmental Attitudes and behaviours within the Australian Rural Sector”. The thesis contributes and progesses the current understanding of the psycho-social issues impacting farmers well-being. He lives on a farm in Armidale NSW.

 

Alison Fairleigh, Rural Mental Health Activist  (confirmed) Alison Fairleigh is the 2013 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Qld Rural Woman of the Year and is now in the running to become the RIRDC Australian Rural Woman of the Year, announced in Canberra 16th October, 2013. As her RIRDC Award Project, Alison is developing a training program aimed at creating better pathways for farmers and fishers to access frontline health and mental health services. 

 

The committee is currently inviting keynote speakers more details will be posted here in the coming weeks.

 

Two keynote invitations will be extended to suitable submitted abstracts.

 

Conference Committee

 

  • Dr Keith Miller, Flinders University
  • Mr Keith Sutton, Monash University
  • Dr Norman Barling Ph.D MAPS
  • Associate Professor James Bennett-Levy, University of Sydney

  • Claire Vissenga, CEO, Aspire, A Pathway to Mental Health Inc

  • Grahame ‘Bonny' Gibson, Men’s Health/Family Violence programs

  • Kate Schlicht, Mental Health Academic, Department of Rural Health, Greater Green Triangle University

  • Peter Sugg, C.E.O. Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association

Scholarship Information

 

scholarship Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association are awarding limited scholarships to attend the 5th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium.

 

Who Attends

  • Policy Makers
  • Non-government organisations
  • Nurses
  • Workers in the provision of rural mental health services
  • Public health services
  • Private health services
  • Private practitioners
  • Psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Researchers
  • Social Workers
  • Rehabilitation Consultants
  • Health Professionals
  • Academics
  • Allied Health Professionals
  • Carers
  • Consumers
  • Clinicians
  • Commonwealth Government
  • Community representatives
  • Counsellors
  • Educational Institutions
  • General Practitioners
  • Local/State/Governments
  • Emergency Service / Defence / Police / Volunteer personnel

 

Blog

Network with the leaders and peers in your field. View the active discussions on the Association's Mental Health Blog. 

 

Feedback from delegates has been outstanding;

 

“Excellent keynote speakers, challenging and informative. Workshops were great learning experiences and motivators”

“It is engaging and designed for practitioners. The issues covered are stimulating and have traction for people working in the mental health field, particularly in rural and remote locations.”

“The whole event was excellently organised and there was insightful and challenging input from all presenters”

“Absolutely amazing to have a speaker like Michael Hourigan with that amount of experience and integrity. Made me want to go and enrol in a human rights degree and work for an aid organisation. Very inspiring indeed and I came back to my workplace raving how lucky I was to hear someone like that”

“The content was very relevant to people living and working in country and the content was also very diverse. It was a great opportunity to network with others from across Australia”

“I would recommend it to fellow peers interested in rural and remote mental health; a wonderful networking opportunity”

“The quality of speakers, presentations and the contacts made were invaluable!”

 

CLOUD TAGS: Rural Health,  Regional Health, Mental Health Conference, Australian Rural Mental Health Conference 2013, National Rural Health Conference, rural mental health, remote mental health, Regional Mental Health, Mental Health Conference - rural mental health, Regional andn Remote Mental Health, The 5th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Conference,