A mental health care provider in Queensland will use federal drought assistance funding to trial video link counselling services.
The Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland (MIFNQ) will also conduct free counselling on a fly-in fly-out basis to remote locations in the Etheridge, Croydon and Flinders Shires.
The organisation is still negotiating a service agreement and aren’t able to disclose how much money they will receive from the 320 million dollar drought package announced by the Department of Agriculture in February.
A number of health care providers have been selected to provide free counselling services for drought affected communities across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
The chief executive officer of MIFNQ, Jeremy Audus, says they are taking a holistic approach to improving mental health across entire communities.
“We’re not just targeting farmers, but also families and other community members, because we’ve all got a part to play in improving people’s wellbeing and mental health.”
MIFNQ will initially conduct face to face individual and group counselling services, before organising long-term treatment which may occur via video link.
Mr Audus hopes the funding will continue into 2015.
“For far too long, there has been a lack of funding in the area of mental illness, especially when you consider that mental illness will affect one in every four Australians in any given year.
“This drought assistance package is very helpful, but it needs to be joined up with other services and other packages of funding to provide a comprehensive, national funding strategy.”
He says it’s an oversight that the white paper currently looking at developing northern Australia doesn’t focus on mental health care.
“We do hear some very frightening stories, particularly about men in drought-affected areas where they can no longer run their cattle and they’ve taken their lives. There’s absolutely evidence of that.
“It’s occurring at a higher rate in parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory than anywhere else in Australia.”
Audio: Jeremy Audus, MIFNQ, Chief Executive Officer on ABC Rural
MIFNQ can be contacted on 1800 985 944.
A list of providers is available here: http://www.dss.gov.au/mental-health/news/2014/what-is-the-drought-assistance-to-farm-business-and-farm-families-measure.
Source: ABC Rural