MENTAL health patients will have better access to support services following the opening of a community hub in Werribee.
The Western Region Health Centre, Mental Illness Fellowship and Yarra Community and Housing last week unveiled the hub in Watton Street in the hope it will keep people with mental illnesses out of hospital.
WRHC chief executive Lyn Morgain said the hub would help patients live a meaningful life beyond the effects of having mental health issues.
“Via the Watton Street hub, people with mental illness can access daily living support to enable them to live at home, assistance and support with community participation, and access to housing.
“Together, the three organisations’ services provide the building blocks for people to make choices and set goals on how they want to live so they can have a life that’s the highest quality possible.”
Heidi Everett, who is part of a music support group for people with mental illnesses, said the hub would make it easier for people to seek help.
She was diagnosed with schizophrenic defective disorder about 10 years ago. She is also bipolar and battles depression and eating disorders.
Ms Everett said it was a long time before she sought help because she didn’t know what services were available.
“I was a mess at 24. I had no idea I needed help because no one else around me was going through it. You think the suicidal tendencies and the paranoia and addictions are completely normal.
“My GP referred me to the public mental health system and a Pandora’s box was opened to me, but the system is so crushed and is under so much pressure there is only so much they can offer you.”
Ms Everett said central hubs allowed people to take responsibility for their own well-being and access different kinds of help.
She said many people found out about support services only through word of mouth, so co-locating them meant people could get help sooner.
The number of young people in the western suburbs with high or very high levels of psychological distress is higher than the state average.
