New Headspace Centre for Mitchell
The Federal Government has announced a new headspace centre providing mental health services for young people will be established in Mitchell.
Alex Hawke MP, Federal Member for Mitchell, joined with representatives of the Hills Mental Health Interagency, Clr Dr Michelle Byrne and Daya Howpage (Mind Connections), Supt Rob Critchlow, Hills Local Area Command and Rowena Stulajter, Rebecca Deep and Jane Austen of 2realise, announced today that Castle Hill would be one of 15 additional communities across Australia provided with a headspace facility.
headspace is a national mental health service for young people.
Alex Hawke said the Castle Hill headspace would provide essential mental health services to young people aged between 12 and 25.
“It is our youth that have greatest prevalence of mental illness – more than any other age group – with three quarters of all mental illness presenting in people aged under 25 years,” Alex Hawke said.
“The onset of mental illness is typically around mid-to-late adolescence and headspace centres provide nationally coordinated support services to youth with mental health, drug or alcohol problems.
“This new headspace site will allow more young people in Mitchell to receive the help they need to fully recover or better manage their conditions and avoid serious and debilitating conditions later in life.
“I want to thank the Hills Mental Health Interagency, The Hills Clinic and 2realise for their great work in lobbying and raising awareness in our community of mental health issues and the need for facilities and programmes to assist in the general wellbeing of Mitchell residents, said Alex Hawke.
“This Government made a commitment to provide more mental health services catering for the needs of young Australians, and we are delivering,” Alex Hawke said.
“The Hills is often over looked for such facilitates but thanks to the hard work of Alex Hawke, the Federal Government has recognised the need for a crucial service such as headspace here in the Hills. We thank the Federal Government for responding to the cries of the HMHI and other local organisations by providing funding for this much needed service in Castle Hill, said Clr Dr Michelle Byrne.
“Mental illness affects us all whether it be directly or indirectly. There is a real need within our community to assist our young people impacted by mental illness and to ensure that they go onto lead productive and rewarding lives. Having a headspace centre which offers a holistic approach to treating mental illness will allow us to make a real difference in the lives of young Hills residents, said Clr Dr Michelle Byrne.
The headspace programme was established by the former Coalition Government in 2006 and the 15 new sites will bring the total number of headspace locations across Australia to 100 helping more than 80,000 young Australians each year.
“We looking forward to working together with Hills mental health providers and organisations to bring to fruition this much needed service as quickly as possible. Mental illness comes at a high cost to the sufferer and to the community and it is only through working together that we can make a real difference in the fight against mental illness,” concluded Alex Hawke.
The additional 15 centres will be established in stages over the next two years and deliver on the Coalition’s election commitment to expand headspace locations to 100 nationally.
Alex Hawke encouraged local organisations to monitor the headspace website for the timing of the Expression of Interest process for the management of the new centre at www.headspace.org.au
Young Australians who do not have convenient access to a headspace centre can use eheadspace.org.au —a free, confidential and anonymous telephone and web-based mental health support service.