Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Sabrina's Reach4Life advocate Lidia Di Lembo welcomes the funding for mental health support in the NT given the Territory has the highest rate of suicide in the country

Transcript

Sabrina's Reach4Life advocate Lidia Di Lembo welcomes the funding for mental health support in the NT given the Territory has the highest rate of suicide in the country · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Well, as we've heard about earlier this morning with the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Health Minister and also yesterday through that announcement, more than
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  Speaker 1: forty three million dollars is going to be invested into
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  Speaker 1: mental health and suicide prevention support and services across the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory over the next five years.
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  Speaker 2: Now.
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  Speaker 3: It follows the.
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  Speaker 1: Signing of a landmark bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth and
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory governments. So essentially the Commonwealth is going
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  Speaker 1: to be investing thirty point six five million dollars and
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  Speaker 1: the Territory is set to invest thirteen point twenty five
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  Speaker 1: million dollars to expand mental health care services to where
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  Speaker 1: they're needed the most included in these there's fifteen point
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  Speaker 1: four million dollars for two new head to Health adult
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  Speaker 1: mental health satellite clinics, nine point one million for a
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  Speaker 1: new head to Health Kids Hub to improve access to
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  Speaker 1: multidisciplinary team care to children. We're also going to see
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  Speaker 1: five point seven million dollars to enhance two Headspace centers
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  Speaker 1: to increase access to youth mental health services, nine point
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  Speaker 1: three million to establish universal aftercare services, one point three
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  Speaker 1: million to ensure that all people in the territory who
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  Speaker 1: are bereaved or impacted by suicide can access postvention support services.
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  Speaker 1: And we're also going to see three million dollars to
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  Speaker 1: support for perinatal mental health screening. I think that anybody
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  Speaker 1: listening this morning certainly would know that this investment is
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  Speaker 1: an incredibly important one. Now joining me on the line
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  Speaker 1: to talk a little bit more about this and the
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  Speaker 1: impact that it will hopefully have is Lydia Delembo. Now
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  Speaker 1: some of you will recognize Lydia's name. She created Sabrina's
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  Speaker 1: Reach for Life after the loss of her beautiful daughter,
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  Speaker 1: and she joins me on the line right now.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning to you, Lydia.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, taking, and good morning to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Lydia, thank you so much for your time. I know
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  Speaker 1: that you have done a lot of advocacy in this space.
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  Speaker 1: What was your reaction to that announcement yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: Katie, it's certainly very much welcome and I think long overdue.
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  Speaker 2: It's certainly putting a significant investment in services and initiatives
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  Speaker 2: that a lot of people in the community have been
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  Speaker 2: asking for for quite some time. And Caddie for you
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  Speaker 2: don't mind. I just want to give people some context
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  Speaker 2: because some might be asking yes, we know we've got
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  Speaker 2: a significant mental health issue across the nation, but when
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  Speaker 2: we talk Northern Territory, we continue to have the highest
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  Speaker 2: rate of suicide in the country, five times the national
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  Speaker 2: average for young people. Forty percent of young people between
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  Speaker 2: the ages of fourteen to twenty four have died by
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  Speaker 2: suicide in the Northern Territory in twenty nineteen. And what's
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  Speaker 2: also important to note is that we also have the
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  Speaker 2: highest rate of intentional self harm hospitalizations in the Northern Territory,
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  Speaker 2: so two hundred and forty people per one hundred thousand.
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  Speaker 2: So that's why, you know, this is a big deal
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  Speaker 2: for us in the territory.
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  Speaker 3: It's an incredibly big deal.
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  Speaker 1: And I think when you're talking about the mental health
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  Speaker 1: of anybody, no matter what age, but particularly when we're
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  Speaker 1: talking about young people, we've got to get this right
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  Speaker 1: and we've got to make sure that we've got those
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  Speaker 1: services available.
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  Speaker 2: Yes we do, and look, you know, this is, as
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  Speaker 2: you said, a landmark package for the territory. But where
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  Speaker 2: I'd like to sort of really understand, and I think
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  Speaker 2: those in the sector as well, is that how is
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  Speaker 2: this now going to be operationalized and implemented, So Historically,
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  Speaker 2: you know, there's been only enough money, I guess to
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  Speaker 2: really deal with the acute cases. And we know that
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  Speaker 2: not everybody ends up in ed or goes to hospital
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  Speaker 2: for help. There are people in the community who, because
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  Speaker 2: of the stigma around mental illness and even suicide bereavement,
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  Speaker 2: don't necessarily go and seek help from a professional. There
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  Speaker 2: are people in the community, even just families who care
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  Speaker 2: for loved ones who either suffer from mental disorder or
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  Speaker 2: the reads. So how do we actually get to encourage
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  Speaker 2: and promote people who suffer in silence to actually seek
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  Speaker 2: help when they need it the most. So that's one challenge,
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  Speaker 2: but also when they actually reach out and seek for help,
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  Speaker 2: they need to be a workforce that really can compassionately
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  Speaker 2: deal with people who are suffering. So there needs to
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  Speaker 2: be in that fructive money that's been you know, are
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  Speaker 2: noun there certainly needs to be a big focus on
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  Speaker 2: how do we build our workforce in the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: Uh and not just professionals, but even people with lived
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  Speaker 2: experience who have a story to tell that you know,
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  Speaker 2: our sufferers of mental illness who it doesn't just define them.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there are people who are professionals that have
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  Speaker 2: these illnesses, who have a lot to offer, who may
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  Speaker 2: wish to contribute in being part of the solution. So
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  Speaker 2: we need to we need to see really strong leadership
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  Speaker 2: now from those who are going to be holding the
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  Speaker 2: purse strings, I guess, and it would predominantly be in
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  Speaker 2: our context here in the territory, the Anti government and
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory Prime Health Network, who've got responsible ability
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  Speaker 2: for I guess, shaping this in a way that's going
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  Speaker 2: to mean something for the community.
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  Speaker 3: Well, because this is it is not literar.
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  Speaker 1: I mean fundamentally, you can invest a bucket load of money,
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  Speaker 1: but if it isn't invested, and if it isn't actually
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  Speaker 1: implemented in the right way, it may not actually make
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  Speaker 1: a difference and it may not save lives and really
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  Speaker 1: support people in the Northern Territory community. So we've got
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  Speaker 1: to get this right.
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  Speaker 2: We do, and you know heartened to see that there's
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  Speaker 2: been also some money allocated to post bension and you know,
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  Speaker 2: it is something that hasn't really had a lot of
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  Speaker 2: attention historically. And I was in a meeting with New
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  Speaker 2: South World Ministry of Pills yesterday where like the territories
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  Speaker 2: that have a suicide prevention plan, and they, you know,
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  Speaker 2: were having focused group sessions with people in the post
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  Speaker 2: Benson space to see what they need to do differently,
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  Speaker 2: because obviously, you know, there are specific needs that need
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  Speaker 2: to be considered for those that are impacted by suicide loss,
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  Speaker 2: and we shouldn't just tack that on to suicide prevention.
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  Speaker 2: Good postvention services is good suicide prevention. So we need
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  Speaker 2: to look at that really carefully, and I would be
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  Speaker 2: key to sort of better understand, you know, what that's
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  Speaker 2: actually going to look like for us in territory.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean one point three million dollars they're saying
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  Speaker 1: to ensure all people in the territory who are bereaved
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  Speaker 1: or impacted by suicide can access those post mentioned support services.
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  Speaker 1: So it will be interesting to see exactly how that
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  Speaker 1: one rolls out, too, Lydia, you have lived experience that
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  Speaker 1: so many of us listening this morning may not. And
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  Speaker 1: I know that if there are parents out there this
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  Speaker 1: morning who are maybe struggling their children may potentially be
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  Speaker 1: struggling with mental health issues right now, they will hopefully
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  Speaker 1: be heartened to hear these five point seven million dollars
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  Speaker 1: to enhance two headspace centers to increase access to multi
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  Speaker 1: disciplinary youth mental health services, meaning there's going to be
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  Speaker 1: more staff for me, more resources hopefully to reduce those
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  Speaker 1: weight times and support more young people lydia.
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  Speaker 3: Do we have enough in the territory right now?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, this is obviously a big step in the
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  Speaker 1: right direction, but from what I've heard over the last
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  Speaker 1: few weeks from some parents in the territory, they're struggling
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  Speaker 1: to be able to get their kids in to see people.
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  Speaker 4: Yes, it is unfortunately the case. You know, we've got
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  Speaker 4: a service to those that are acutely unwell, so they
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  Speaker 4: can actually go through the system and go to EG.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, there are what people refer to, and
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  Speaker 2: I think in the media release that does refer to
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  Speaker 2: the missing middle So people who are still enough to
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  Speaker 2: be sort of admitted to like a cowdy in our context,
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  Speaker 2: but they still need some support that a GP not
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  Speaker 2: isn't necessarily well equipped to deal with. So, you know,
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  Speaker 2: how do we help those people, and how do we
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  Speaker 2: actually help the parents who in the context of young people,
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  Speaker 2: how can we better support them? Because even through what
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  Speaker 2: we do in Sabrina's reach, and you know, I have
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  Speaker 2: the privilege of speaking to parents and even young people
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  Speaker 2: who reach out to support who really don't know where
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  Speaker 2: to go for help or have tried but get told
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  Speaker 2: you know, I can't be a psychologist for three months,
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  Speaker 2: or I have to go into state to see a
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  Speaker 2: psychiatrist because there is just the local people are not
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  Speaker 2: accessing or not not taking any more patients. So, you
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  Speaker 2: know what, how can we help those people who need
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  Speaker 2: that immediate help and there isn't that capacity locally to
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  Speaker 2: support them. Well, one good thing that we do have,
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  Speaker 2: I have to say, and I don't know if you've
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  Speaker 2: spoken anyone from Head to Help, we do have the
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  Speaker 2: head to Health center now in Joan, and I note
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  Speaker 2: that there's more money that's being allocated through this announcement
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  Speaker 2: as well for a few other critics, which is great.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, it's about having the services available, but
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  Speaker 2: also having the workforce trained up to actually deal with
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  Speaker 2: people when they need the help the most. So there's
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  Speaker 2: the prevention side, which is a collective effort, you know,
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  Speaker 2: whole of government, whole of community. How do we bring
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  Speaker 2: everyone together to save lives and keep people safe. But
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  Speaker 2: there's also you know, we need to have capacity to
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  Speaker 2: have that direct intervention at the right time and at
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  Speaker 2: the right place when people need it the most, because
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  Speaker 2: otherwise people are just going to keep falling through the crack.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and this is the thing we've got to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that we're able to support people. Lydia de Lembo,
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  Speaker 1: I always appreciate your time. I am just looking at
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  Speaker 1: your website right now, Sabrina's Reach for Life. I know
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  Speaker 1: that you have regular support group meetings. Is there one
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  Speaker 1: of those coming up or anything coming up that we
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  Speaker 1: should be aware of very quickly.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, So we continue to have our monthly berecment by
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  Speaker 2: the Side support group meetings current place the first Wednesday
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  Speaker 2: of every month, and the next one is the first
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  Speaker 2: I think it's the sixth of April. And we've actually
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  Speaker 2: got an information second for not the bree but general
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  Speaker 2: part on what to do after the side when you
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  Speaker 2: have to go back to work, So how some coping
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  Speaker 2: mechanisms and strategy and how to sort of hope when
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  Speaker 2: you're going back to the workplace after you've had a
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  Speaker 2: suicide loss or in a professional who you know have
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  Speaker 2: paid you with a suicide loss. And the other thing
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  Speaker 2: Cadi just mentioned is that we are now at the
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  Speaker 2: end of last year under the Weasley Mission model a
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  Speaker 2: Darn suicide Prevention network as well, and we are looking
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  Speaker 2: at having our firs meeting in.
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  Speaker 1: We're just having a bit of trouble with your phone
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  Speaker 1: line there, Lydia. Unfortunately, we're just having a bit of
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: trouble with your phone line. It seems to be cutting
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  Speaker 1: out a little bit. Just tell us again that last bit.
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  Speaker 2: Can you hear me?
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: Okay, I can hear you again now hopefully sorry, that's
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: all right.
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  Speaker 2: So I just mentioned about the session on the sixth
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  Speaker 2: of April, which is about turning to the work. So
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  Speaker 2: that's on the sixth from six point thirty at Harry's place.
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  Speaker 2: And the other thing I mentioned is that we are
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  Speaker 2: now a Dahwan Suicide Prevention Network under the Weasley Mission
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  Speaker 2: Model YEAP, and that means we were aiming to bring
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  Speaker 2: the sector together for the inaugural meeting in early April.
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  Speaker 2: So this is about bringing people from government, non government,
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  Speaker 2: people have lived experience together to really share information and
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  Speaker 2: talk about where the gap might be and what we
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  Speaker 2: can do together as a collective to help reduce suicide
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  Speaker 2: in our community.
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  Speaker 1: Lydia d Lembo, I always appreciate your time. The work
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  Speaker 1: that you do is incredibly important and of course if
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  Speaker 1: anybody wants to find out more, they can take a
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: look online by heading to Sabrina's Reach with the number
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  Speaker 1: four so Sabrina's Reach for life dot com dot au.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning, Lydia.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie for the opportunity.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you