By Oliver Lees
Mental health workers have hit the streets across the Macedon Ranges to educate residents about support services on offer throughout the shire.
The Assisting Communities through Direct Connection (ACDC) initiative has been designed to inform or remind people of where to get help, through direct conversations with people connectors who have been tasked with the going door-to-door to spread the word.
In the Macedon Ranges, community health organisation HMS Collective has diverted some members of its staff to the project.
The program in the Macedon Ranges is one of 20 being run around Australia by Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA).
Since October, the ACDC project has reached approximately 550 homes in the Macedon Ranges.
ACDC Macedon Ranges project line manager Jacqui Wilkinson said the program had been well received by the community.
“Delivering the project in the Macedon Ranges shire has presented unique opportunities such as discussing the lack of mental health and wellbeing support in the shire with local counselors and members of parliament,” Ms Wilkinson said.
Northern Western Melbourne Primary Health Network data from 2018 found the annual suicide rate in the Macedon Ranges (17 per 100,000) was well above the national (11 per 100,000), and state (10 per 100,000) average.
The data also indicated the shire to be the only municipality that was “significantly higher“ than the Australian rate.
Ms Wilkinson said the program had been valuable in recording data for ways to improve the delivery of services in the region.
“The people connectors have identified several service gaps in the Macedon Ranges area, ranging from accessibility issues for community engagement services, to lack of mental health and wellbeing support for carers, to wanting more community groups to reduce social isolation,” she said.
The program will continue until January 2022.
Details: acdc.org.au/
