Join us in Albury, NSW from Wednesday 11 – Friday 13 October 2017 for the 9thAustralian Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium.
Russell Roberts, Associate Professor of Leadership at Charles Sturt University and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney joins us this year to discuss "Equally well: Improving the physical health of people living with mental illness".
Russell Roberts
People living with mental illness die twenty years earlier than the general population. People living with severe mental illness are 6 times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, 4 times more likely to die of respiratory disease and 5 times more likely to smoke.
The total economic cost of physical illness in people living with mental illness has been estimated at $15 billion per annum, almost 1% of the GDP. Things do not have to be this way. People living with mental illness have the right to quality health care. Effective mental health and physical health care improves the quantity and quality of life of those with a mental illness.
This presentation describes the national leadership model for implementing the recently released Equally Well: The National Consensus Statement on improving the physical health of people living with mental illness in Australia. It also examines the ways in which clinicians and organisations can be involved and partner in this national initiative.
Find out more about Equally Well here.
The 2017 Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium will include keynote speakers, concurrent sessions and workshops that develop skills related specifically to the mental health needs of our rural and remote communities, and ways to effectively prepare mental health and other rural human service professionals to meet future challenges.
