A Mental Health Demonstration Project has been established in Mildura, with the aim of building a more integrated approach to mental health care for Aboriginal people.
The Mental Health Demonstration Project lead agency is MDAS which has an established partnerships with the Mildura Base Hospital Mental Health Services.
The Model is designed to improve the mental health treatment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander people with moderate to severe mental illness and mental health disorders who fall between the gaps due to the nature of their mental health and social support needs.
The key strengths of each of the mental health service organisations is combined to increase engagement with the target group and achieve improved health outcomes through streamlining access to mental health treatment.
The program aims to provide Mental Health Services (MHS) in a culturally safe environment, increasing uptake by people who may not have previously been comfortable accessing mainstream MHS. The focus is on those in the client group who have come into contact with the criminal justice system.
A recovery-focussed,problem solving and strength based approach will be implemented to assist the client in identifying goals and areas of their life that they would like to develop and work towards in their social and emotional recovery journey.
The Mental Health Demonstration Project team at MDAS includes two Aboriginal staff with Bachelor of Mental Health, one Aboriginal staffmember with Diploma of Counselling and two Aboriginal Support Workers.
Contact the team at the MDAS Social and Emotional Wellbeing Hub in Mildura, or
referral forms can be downloaded here.