Mental Health and Wellbeing



Goulburn Valley Primary Care Partnership
Mental Health & Wellbeing is a state wide health promotion priority that the GVPCP membership decided to focus on in the 2006 – 2009 GVPC Community Health Plan.

The Mental Health & Wellbeing Working Group is responsible for the implementation of the mental health strategies outlined in the GVPCP Community Health Plan. The working group meets bimonthly in Numurkah. The Chair of the Mental Health & Wellbeing Working Group is Lesley Bowers from Moira Healthcare Alliance.

Mental Health & Wellbeing Focus for 2008:

The Mental Health and Wellbeing group have agreed to focus on the issue of Mental Health First Aid training. This is in line with a meeting that was held between Department of Human Service (DHS) funded Drought Service providers convened by DHS late Dec 2007. It was agreed at that meeting late last year that the focus of GVPCP was to drive the roll out of Mental Health First Aid training to three very specific groups:

  • Health Professionals
  • Professional with a legitimate entry beyond the farm gate
  • General Public


It is the plan of the GVPCP to utilise funds from Drought money to facilitate this role. The Mental Health and Wellbeing group will act as a steering committee that will oversee that the agreed objectives are being met, this will include:

  • Up skilling 2 people within each LGA within the GVPCP to have the qualification to deliver Mental Health First Aid training
  • Then deliver Mental Health First Aid training in COGS, Moira & Strathbogie


Action to be undertaken:

  • An expression of interest document with criteria is to be advertised to all members of the GVPCP
  • GVPCP Executive will review applications and allocate funding based on response of applicant/s to the selection criteria
  • The successful agency(s) will report to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Group to monitor outcomes to targets and support the successful tender with tangible and intangible in kind support.

The benefits to the community are:

  • The project will deliver more capacity to entire catchment
  • It will create sustainable access to the GVPCP Catchment Mental Health First Aid training

Further to this, it is a new partnership opportunity for our GVPCP Members. Also by having the Mental Health Wellbeing group as the Steering Committee, there will be further in kind partnerships developed, platforms for collaboration and capacity building opportunities.

If you or your organisation is interested in being involved in the Mental Health & Wellbeing Working Group then please contact Sam Campi, Team Leader on 58 233 285 or gvpcp@gvchs.com.au

Rural Stress: Children & Adolescents
Adolescent Brochure

A resource guide for parents on how to identify stress in children and adolescents. Includes some simple strategies people can adopt in their lifestyle, as well as useful phone and website contact details for further support to ensure good mental health and wellbeing of rural young people.

Useful Links:

Mental Health First Aid
www.mhfa.org

Sustainable Farm Families
http://www.sustainablefarmfamilies.org.au/drought.html

Meeting Minutes, Agenda and TOR:
Mental Health and Well Being Docs