The Healthy Tails barbecue has been put on by Mars Petcare for Adult Community Health staff and clients for the past three years.

Mars logistics manager Kyle Brereton said his team and their dogs had previously held the barbecue at Albury Wodonga Health facilities.

“We generally find not only do the staff enjoy it but the patients in particular – that interaction is very special,” he said.

“If someone’s been in hospital for a little while recuperating, a dog can bring them joy.

“For us, what better way is there to demonstrate the benefits of owning a pet for mental and physical health?

Occupational therapist Alison Delphin said the barbecue was a great way to acknowledge Mental Health Month.

“Often when you’re seeing people, it’s because things aren’t going well, so its good to have these kind of days,” she said.

Under an arm of Albury Wodonga Health, there are a range of services including Benambra Residential Service, another 10-beds at the sub-acute service Jarrah Retreat, and The Willows in Beechworth.

The three rehabilitation services provided support for people during three to six month, 28-day, and long-term periods respectively.

“It’s about working on people’s goals so they can be more independent at home,” Ms Delphin said.

“In Jarrah, the goal is to help people avoid going to hospital and is also for people coming out of hospital, who no longer need to be in an acute mental health service, but aren’t quite ready to go home.

“If they have been living in the community normally and are finding things a little tough, they can go into a supported environment that’s staffed 24/7.

“Willows is for people who want the same thing but need more time, and they have generally been more unwell for longer.”

Ms Delphin said there was also Adult Community Mental Health, which has a campus on Watson Street in Wodonga, with her and other OTs providing specialist assessments.

“Some people have never learnt certain skills, and for others they have had a hiccup and need support,” she said.

“What we are finding at the moment is a lot of people who have had complex trauma in their past are having trouble managing their emotional regulation.

“We do a lot of work around  managing distress through alternative ways to medication.”

Ms Delphin said staff and patients valued the Healthy Tails event.

“Mars and Adult Community Mental Health don’t really have that much in common in terms of what we do, but Mars showing their organisation cares about mental health and putting something on for us is a really nice thing,” she said.

“It’s also exposing Mars to what we do, and maybe if they know someone who isn’t travelling well, they can have faces to names of people in our service and feel comfortable to ring up.”