Ms Lee Martinez joins us this November at the 2016 Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium to discuss ‘Let me be the Driver – I Have Removed the Case – Journeys of Rural Mental Health Consumers’. Ms Martinez is a Mental Health Academic at the University Department of Rural Health; University of SA.
The implementation of the stepped model of care a policy directive from the Social Inclusion Board Stepping Up Report (2007 -2012) in country South Australia has had a number of iterations during implementation over the past 8 to 9 years. The presentation will draw from the findings of two evaluations of rural based community sub-acute mental health services and rehabilitation services. Furthermore it will show how the discussions and recommendations of the University of South Australian Department of Rural Health 3rd Sustaining Communities Sustaining Mental Health ‘Walk the Talk of Service Integration’ Conference, link and could underpin the findings of the services evaluated.
The paper will focus on consumers driving their own care a strong theme that evolved from the conference, how the information / findings from three different projects with a similar theme identified links between the outcomes and findings. The first evaluation looked at two separate rural community based sub-acute mental health services demonstrating how bio-psychosocial supports are integral to mental health care for consumers and carers and demonstrated links to keeping people out of the hospital system.
The second evaluated two separate rural community based mental health rehabilitation services interviewing a number of people who used the service and the support persons. Thirdly the 3rd Sustaining Communities Sustaining Mental Health Conference focused on encouraging delegates to challenge some of the common practices in mental health services, consider what is and what isn’t working and be proactive in stimulating discussion answering a key question and developing recommendations. Consumers spoke consistently on how the clinician’s level of empathy, the shift of decision making power towards the consumer and carer’s, impacted on their overall outcome. Eleven recommendations were developed following a mental health conference answering how clinicians and peer workers could re work their everyday processes and practices to ensure consumers leave with more power, control, skills and resources to manage their mental illness.
The 2016 Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium will be held at Mantra on Salt Beach, Kingscliff, NSW from 3 – 4 November 2016. This year’s symposium again provides opportunities to learn, discuss, workshop and network with others who share a passion for rural and remote mental health.
The 2016 Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium Program is now available to view here: https://dev3.anzmh.asn.au/rrmh/program/16/program16.pdf
For more information on the upcoming 8th Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium and to secure your registration visit the symposium website today.
