Geelong to get youth mental health facility

GEELONG is one of five locations selected by the state government for a new Youth Prevention and Recovery Care (YPARC) centre.

A recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, the new YPARC centres will provide flexible, around-the-clock clinical care for young people aged between 16 and 25 experiencing mental ill health, and are intented to be an alternative for a young person being admitted to hospital.

Geelong’s centre will be one of five new locations which are part of an expansion that will more than double the YPARC’s capacity.

The new centres will each have 10 private bedrooms complete with ensuite bathrooms, communal kitchens, dining and living areas, breakout spaces and outdoor gardens for rest and recovery, as well as family visits.

Designs for the new facilities will draw on the insights and experiences of clinicians, carers and young people with lived experience of mental ill-health by inviting them to actively participate in workshops.

Geelong Labor MP Christine Couzens announced Geelong’s YPARC centre will be at 40 Little Fyans Street, South Geelong and be operated by Barwon Health.

“These new YPARC centres will ensure more young Victorians can access mental healthcare and support when they need it, easing pressure on our hospitals,” she said.

YPARC centres will also be built in Heidelberg, Traralgon, Shepparton, and Newington, and existing YPARC centres in Bendigo, Dandenong and Frankston will be refurbished and modernised.

Labor says the $141 million YPARC works will support more than 900 extra young Victorians to get access to the mental health care and support they need, and that building more facilities that provide early intervention care and recovery-focused treatment will reduce pressure on Victoria’s hospitals.

“We know how much better health outcomes are when people get treatment close to their families, support networks and local community – which is why we’re delivering youth mental health facilities right across Victoria,” Acting Minister for Mental Health Colin Brooks said.

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System’s final report listed supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people as one of its 60 recommendations.

The report specifically stated the Victorian government should ensure Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services were available for young people aged 12 to 25 (or in other words, until a person’s 26th birthday), with age boundaries and transitions to be applied flexibly by services in partnership with young people and their families, carers and supporters.