IT DIDN’T take long for Euroa MLA Steph Ryan to discover there were no youth focused mental health services in Benalla.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Victorian politician said the town needed on the ground support for children and their families and not just a hotline.
“I intend to present the government with the evidence they seem to think they don’t have from the community,” Ms Ryan said.
Ms Ryan said the issue was bipartisan and also crossed federal lines.
“It is my understanding that the Murray Primary Health Network have the funding from the federal government to contract and deliver mental health services across our region,” she said.
“I want to see some of those dollars invested here in Benalla to ensure there is ongoing support for young people.”
From July, the Murray PHN will be the conduit for funding to the Shepparton and Albury-Wodonga headspaces.
The Shepparton headspace, however, has not had any youths access its services from the Benalla postcode in the last six months. No one from the 3672 postcode has ever accessed the Albury-Wodonga headspace since it opened last year.
Benalla Health community health director Neil Stott said ideally funding would be forthcoming for a child psychologist and a mental health care nurse who could improve its capacity to handle complex cases.
Benalla mayor Justin King said the hospital was great but there was no open service in the community someone could take their friend to if they knew they weren’t in a good state of mind.
Victorian Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said the Benalla community always had access to mental health help 24 hours a day by phoning 1300 783 347.