CENTRE FOR RURAL & REMOTE MENTAL HEALTH
Quarterly Report January – March 2019 About the CRRMH
The Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health (CRRMH) is based in Orange NSW and is a major rural initiative of the University of Newcastle and the NSW Ministry of Health. Our staff are located across rural and remote NSW.
The Centre is committed to improving mental health and wellbeing in rural and remote communities. We focus on the following key areas:
• the promotion of good mental health and the prevention of mental illness;
• developing the mental health system to better meet the needs of people living in rural and remote regions; and
• understanding and responding to rural suicide. Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health
As the Australian Collaborating Centre for the International Foundation for PO Box 8043 Integrated Care, we promote patient-centred rather than provider-focused Orange East NSW 2800 care that integrates mental and physical health concerns. T +61 2 6363 8444 E crrmh@new castle.edu.au As part of the University of Newcastle, all of our activities are underpinned by research evidence and evaluated to ensure appropriateness and effectiveness.
crrmh.com.au @crrmh @crrmhnsw /company /crrmh
2 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Contents
Report Page Director’s Report 4 Snapshot of the Quarter 5 Research 6 John Hoskin Library 7 Connections 8 Communications 9 Online Connections 12
Partnerships 14
Good SPACE 15
Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) 17
Staff News and Achievements 19
Appendix 21
3 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Director’s Report Centre Director Professor David Perkins
The first quarter of 2019 has been one of uncertainty on many fronts. Environmental uncertainty in the form of the drought, w hich was followed by floods in Queensland, impacts on farmers, contractors, transport operators, livestock markets, and country businesses to name but a few . This affects communities as demand for goods and services falls and may challenge the viability of country businesses and decisions have to be made ab outwhether employees can be kept on. One of our recent community studies observed the realities of underemployment; people who need full-time work were only finding 5-10 hours each week. Add to this the political uncertainty of state and federal elections and we had the ingredients for uncertainty an d anxiety.
Playing our part in our community has costs whether it is buying our round, attending that dinner, driving to that party, attending the Royal Easter Show or finding the fees so that our children can play football or netball. When we cannot afford to participate it has adverse impacts on our personal wellbeing and also on the social fabric of our communities.
Within all this our Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) Coordinators have experienced an unprecedented demand for their services. This was recognised by a state government drought enhancement in the form of five new Coordinators who are getting to know their communities and the particular local challenges, strengths and service gaps which need to be addressed.
Despite a common misconception, not all rural people are the same and the Centre needs to communicate using a variety of chan nels and different media so that our community members have choices when it comes to caring for their mental and social wellbeing. It is very exciting to see the combination of face-to-face linking to services, traditional training programs, video material and podcasts, online information and treatment programs being made available and in many cases developed by the Centre. Providing people with choices of the best available opportunities to prevent menta l ill-health and to address symptoms when they occur is our goal and the reason why our staff receive the best available training.
In closing, we need to remember the staff and clinicians from all agencies who are caring for their communities at this time. They face all of the above uncertainties on a personal and family level but also share many of the burdens for the communities in which they live and wo rk. We should not forget that this is not business as usual and that the support of our staff and clinicians is of utmost importance.
Finally, thank you for the many ways in which you support the work of the Centre and the welfare of rural and remote New South Wales, both in times of uncertainty and in times of confidence. As we work through this current period of uncertainty we continue to look to the futu re and better times for all.
David Perkins,
Director CRRMH
4 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Snapshot of the Quarter
Research John Hoskin Library Connections Communications Online Connections
Hazel Dalton Communications presented at the team travelled to Gus Worland 18 information skills CRRMH Facebook 15th National Newcastle to meet welcomed as first training sessions held. page reaches 2,000 Rural Health with UON media, RAMHP likes. Conference in marketing and Ambassador. Hobart. philanthropy teams.
Partnerships Good SPACE RAMHP Staff News
Augusta- Margaret First We-Yarn 450 people linked to CRRMH welcomed River report workshop coordinated care. new Administrative commissioned by with Yerin Eleanor 1,432 participants Officer, Jo Joseph to Lishman Health Duncan Aboriginal trained. the team. Foundation Health Services. 95 community released. events attended.
5 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Research Compiled by Research Assistant Lucy McEvoy
1 white paper published 2 conference presentations
Newcastle research staff travelled to On 11 March, Kristina Gottschall and On 26 March, Hazel Dalton presented at Orange on 11 March for a Research Jenny Roberts from Dementia the 15th National Rural Health Planning Day which covered overall Australia again joined forces to Conference in Hobart. With the direction for the team and priority educate the Molong community on conference theme better together, her areas, funding and training dementia and memory loss for the presentation on collaborative approaches opportunities and collaboration with VERILY Connect project. to community wellbeing was well placed. the RAMHP team.
For more detailed information please see Appendices 1-5
6 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 John Hoskin Library Compiled by Centre Librarian Paul Stanfield
The period January-March 2019 proved to be a quieter period than October-December 2018. Library Total Activity Visitor numbers were down for CRRMH from 100 to 49, and slightly down for Western NSW LHD from 73 to 64 but were however doubled for students from 13 to 25. Visitors 253
Article requests for CRRMH were stable for CRRMH but down for western NSW LHD staff from 335 to 218. Articles supplied 364 There was however an increase for student articles to 16. Photocopying/ 359 printing Inter library loans were sharply decreased overall from 186 to 37. Inter-library 85 Information skills training bucked the trend overall, doubling from 8 to 18 for the period. loans/ gratis
Loans also slightly increased overall, especially for Western NSW LHD staff and students. Short reference 266
Long reference: 32 See table for all other results. literature searches
Information skills 18 Library Collections Committee training Other training 86 One Library Collections Committee meeting was held during this period on 14 February (catalogue searching/ library orientation
Loans 90
Please see Appendix 6 for a full list of new publications
7 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Connections Compiled by Senior Development Officer Vanessa Delaney
University of Newcastle The CRRMH Communications team travelled to Newcastle for various meetings at the University of Newcastle campus on March 11 and 12. They met with the Philanthropy and Alumni team, Communications and Marketing team, Media Manager and Social Media Expert. The meetings were a great opportunity to share the work taking place at the Centre and to improve our University connections. There were some great outcomes from the meetings, including plans for further talks around how we can provide information and support to the schools recruitment team, and how we can better access the Hunter Medical Research Institute. While in Newcastle the team also met with Kia Handley from ABC Radio regarding our Podcast Series 3, which Kia is producing with us.
Rural Suicide Prevention Forum planning During this quarter planning commenced for the 2019 Rural Suicide Prevention Forum: making a collaborative approach to community wellbeing at the Sydney Royal Easter Show on 16 April. This year the theme will be around community wellbeing collaboratives, an area which the CRRMH has been focusing on over the last 12 months to reflect Focus Area 5 of our Rural Suicide and its Prevention position paper: Build healthy and resilient people and communities. This work includes Our Healthy Clarence (Grafton NSW), the University of Newcastle’s Family Action Centre (Muswellbrook NSW), Lithgow and Margaret River WA. The forum will provide an opportunity for these groups to come together and share knowledge and learnings, and to hear from other stakeholders about how rural and remote communities can better collaborate to improve their mental health and wellbeing, thereby reducing the incidence of suicide.
8 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Communications Compiled by Senior Development Officer Vanessa Delaney and Communications Coordinator Jocie Johnston
Resources Grants During this quarter the CRRMH The CRRMH has been successful in a grant application with Aurizon’s Community Giving Fund, completed its collaborative work with $8000 being granted to hold a social outdoor cinema event in the upper Hunter region for with Behind the Seen, which works families affected by the drought in September this year. The event will be organised by our RAMHP with first responders (police, fire and Coordinators from the Hunter New England Local Health District. ambulance), as well as the Network of Alcohol and other drugs agencies An application with the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation to create two new RAMHP (NADA) in their adaptations of our training videos was unfortunately unsuccessful, as was an application with Stratford Coal 2019 Community Support Program for some RAMHP events in the Gloucester area. popular How Are You Going Poster for their target audiences.
Video resources This Quarter RAMHP released two new videos in February. "Managing Stress" was designed for individuals and rural communities while "Understanding Drought-related Stress" was designed for health professionals.
The videos are available on our website and YouTube, with a total of 157 views of our "Managing Stress" video and 92 views of our "Understanding Drought-related Stress" videos on YouTube.
Click here to view the "Managing Stress" video and click here to view the "Understanding Drought- related Stress" video.
9 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Communications cont. Compiled by Senior Development Officer Vanessa Delaney and Communications Coordinator Jocie Johnston
Announcements New Ambassador Program for Rural We were delighted that Let’s Talk: Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) A Podcast about Rural and In this quarter our RAMHP Program launched Remote Mental Health has been an Ambassador Program and was delighted to named a finalist in the Acast Award secure television and radio personality Gus for Diversity & Inclusion in Worland as the first Ambassador. Podcasting category of the 2019 Vicky and Jocie from the Communications team Australian Podcast Awards. The met with Gus in his Triple M Studio in Sydney to winners will be announced at the get his story on video and camera. The program 2019 Australian Podcast Awards on Saturday 18th May at the will officially launch in April with more Seymour Centre, Sydney. Watch Ambassadors to come on board this year. this space!
HeadOn documentary The Communications team have also been working closely with an independent documentary producer helping source content and provide mental health advise and support. The documentary web series called HeadOn examines millennial mental health through the journey of the director and presenter of the series, Darius Devas, as well as experts in the field of mental health. Here is a link to their teaser trailer: HeadOn Teaser
The series will tell stories from a diversity of places, including regional areas and they are particularly interested in the tough conditions for farmers and the mental health concerns in regional communities. As part of the series, RAMHP Program Manager Tessa Caton and her partner George were filmed on a property in Grenfell. The interview focused on the current challenges faced by young farmers and the impact this has on mental wellbeing. The interview also covered what support is available including the support and education the RAMHP program provides in rural communities.
10 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Communications cont. Compiled by Senior Development Officer Vanessa Delaney and Communications Coordinator Jocie Johnston
Media
During the first quarter in 2019, our Director Professor David Perkins, various RAMHP Coordinators, some of the Research team and the RAMHP Manager were interviewed about current issues and key initiatives. Key topics included the Community Wellbeing Initiative in the Margaret River, the Verily Connect project (carers to support each other in a dementia -friendly community), the Baggy Blues Tour with RAMHP, the ongoing drought and impact on mental wellbeing, the Tabulam fires, RAMHP Coordinators Camilla Kenny and Di Gill being nominated for awards and the UNICEF report on how drought is affecting kids.
This quarter also saw the team respond to various media requests including from the Washington Post, the Weekly Times (Qld), Mind Food Magazine, the Wellcome Trust Magazine (UK) and the ABC. The team also worked with RAMHP Coordinator Judy Carmody to develop content for a regular monthly column in the Yass Tribune. The first one was published on 26 March: Managing stress during drought by RAMHP Coordinator Judy Carmody
The following media releases were also distributed:
• Molong to host free community forum to increase awareness of dementia and memory loss (213 KB) Thursday, March 7, 2019 • Nyngan to host free community forum to increase awareness of dementia and memory loss (345 KB) Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Please see Appendix 7 for a full list of media activity
11 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Online Connections Compiled by Marketing Officer Ashleigh Middleton
Website Analytics 1 Jan – 31 March 2019 Promotion of VERILY Connect community forums CRRMH RAMHP
6,438 website sessions (-30%) 3,613 website sessions (+11%) Social media was utilised to promote Verily Connect and community forums held in Nyngan and Molong during February and March. A Average website session 2:17 mins Average website session 2:38 mins combination of paid and non-paid posts across Facebook and Twitter Top 5 pages Top 5 pages reached a total of 7,079 people. 1. Homepage- 2,485 views 1. Homepage- 2,364 views 2. RAMHP- 620 views 2. Downloadable resources- 452 3. Downloadable resources- 514 views Facebook milestone achieved views 3. About us- 388 views 4. About us: Overview- 432 views 4. Meet the team- 387 views On 5 February, the CRRMH Facebook page hit 2,000 likes. This 5. Events- 311 views 5. Find a RAMHP coordinator- 361 views milestone was celebrated with a post thanking all of CRRMH’s followers for their support.
New website additions
5 February: Nyngan to host free community forum to increase awareness of dementia and memory loss 26 views 28 February: Our Achievements July – December 2018 3 views 7 March: Molong to host free community forum to increase awareness of dementia and memory loss 12 views 19 March: Key learnings on the Books on Prescription Scheme 48 views
12 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Online Connections cont. Compiled by Marketing Officer Ashleigh Middleton
CRRMH Conversations e- Social Media Analytics 1 January – 31 March 2019 newsletter Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
CRRMH 852 followers (+5%) 2,042 page likes (+3%) 22 followers (+0%) E-newsletter continue to be sent 28 tweets posted 96 posts 8 posts each month to subscribers, with 628 post engagements 1,547 post engagements 12 post engagements the following results: (+89%) (-81%) (+20%)
RAMHP 452 followers (+4%) 1,326 page likes (+14%) Jan 2019: CRRMH Conversations: 19 tweets posted 83 posts How do we keep our communities - 228 post engagements 2,756 post engagements vibrant and resilient? Open rate- (-47%) (-17%) 42% Click rate- 15%
Good SPACE 933 page likes (+2%) - Feb 2019: CRRMH Conversations: 58 posts - 519 post engagements Taking a collaborative approach to (-58%) community wellbeing Open rate- 67% Click rate- 15% We-Yarn 90 page likes (+2%) - 3 posts - Mar 2019: CRRMH Conversations: 7 post engagements (-90%) Addressing mental health and wellbeing in Augusta Margaret River Open rate- 56% Click rate- 11%
Social media promotions
Weekly ‘Act-Belong-Commit’ are posted on the CRRMH Facebook page which aim to spread mentally healthy messaging to our followers. Over the January – March quarter, these posts reached 4,001 people.
On 29 January, Facebook was used to announce and congratulate the winner of a $400 VISA gift card for participating in PhD researcher Emma Austin’s drought and wellbeing survey.
13 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Partnerships Compiled by Senior Development Officer Vanessa Delaney, RAMHP Program Manager Tessa Caton and Research Assistant Lucy McEvoy
Industry partnerships Academic partnerships
Lishman Health Foundation: The CRRMH has been Western NSW Primary Health Network (WNSWPHN): The CRRMH working with the Lishman Health Foundation to explore facilitated workshops on behalf of the WNSWPHN in Orange on 6 and 7 mental health and wellbeing approaches in Augusta February with members of the community and service providers given an opportunity to contribute to the development of a regional mental health and Margaret River, Western Australia. We visited the region late suicide prevention plan for western NSW. last year and spoke to over 100 local people and service A discussion paper will summarise some of the things we learnt in the providers to identify key issues and explore community workshops and meetings with our communities and stakeholders, and it views on mental health and wellbeing. proposes some broad directions that we might take over the next three In March the draft report from the findings was released, years. aiming to: Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN): On 8 March, CRRMH - Identify the mental health needs Research lead Hazel Dalton travelled to Wagga to run a co-design workshop of the Augusta Margaret River with John Leary on behalf of Murrumbidgee PHN, so that they can co-design community; their stepped care model with key stakeholders. We’ve undertaken previous work with them including a review of the central intake system last year, and - Determine the factors associated in preparation for this workshop we produced a brief literature review (led by with mental health and wellbeing Scott Fitzpatrick, CRRMH), a discussion paper to inform the workshop and a locally; and survey to obtain more views from people who have used mental health - Identify strategies and resources services that are commissioned by the PHN. that can promote mental health and wellbeing across the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC): IFIC Australia welcomed two new knowledge partners, the Australian community. Hospital and Healthcare Association and Health Justice Australia. Click here to download the report https://integratedcarefoundation.org/news/ific-austalia-are-delighted-to- announce-partnership-with-ahha
14 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Good SPACE Compiled by Project Officer Carmel O’Sullivan
Workshop delivery Connections
Good SPACE Workshops (GSW): The cessation of training in the Upper Suicide Prevention Community Action Groups Hunter has resulted in education being delivered to identified areas of need (SPCAG): Moree SPCAC was to reconvene in within the NENW Good SPACE region. The Christmas/New Year holiday February however due to the low number of period typically impacts the commencement of delivery of training, with the first members able to attend, the meeting was GSW delivered in mid-February. postponed. Two Good SPACE workshops were held in Tamworth, supported by Tamworth Education Centre (University of Newcastle) in February and again in Good SPACE continues to maintain contact with a March at the request of North West Church. very active member of the Armidale Suicide A community GSW was held at Centacare Moree, which attracted attendees Postvention Response Group (SPRG), who has around the Moree district and also Warialda, including representation from two asked members of this existing group if they are local Aboriginal organisations - Miyay Birray Youth Service and Byamee interested in working with GS to establish a Homeless Support. suicide prevention focus group. While the group is Training was requested by the Tingha community following the fires that interested, it consists of people who have devastated the area. considerable commitments with their existing organisation – discussion continues. Black Dog Institute (BDI) Advanced Training in Suicide Prevention (ATSP): Dr Anne Camac (BDI) facilitated an ATSP in February in Gunnedah, with 17 attendees travelling from Warialda, Manilla, Narrabri and Tamworth to join with Gunnedah participants at this clinical education. Training was also delivered in Armidale in March.
15 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Good SPACE cont. Compiled by Project Officer Carmel O’Sullivan
Aboriginal Suicide Prevention
We-Yarn Workshops: We-Yarn workshops which were postponed due to the impact of the February Tingha bushfires (both facilitators were unable to ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills present), were delivered in April for the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Training) workshops): ASIST training was held Health Network (CESPHN); sites were Redfern, La Perouse and Sutherland. in February for Tamworth Aboriginal Medical A We-Yarn Workshop was held in collaboration with Yerin Aboriginal Health Service (TAMS) and Tobwabba Aboriginal Health Service (AHS) workforce and other Aboriginal Service (AHS) in Wyong during March. The workshop took place in the Service Providers in March. gardens of the Wyong Neighbourhood Centre and was attended by Yerin AHS staff members and other Aboriginal service providers.
Black Dog Institute Advanced Training in Suicide Prevention (ATSP): This education was scheduled for February solely for Tobwabba AHS and other clinicians invited by Yerin AHS. Due to the lack of numbers required to provide this training, the training was cancelled. Tobwabba AHS, Forster clinicians and Aboriginal Health Providers attended an ATSP in Taree mid- March.
16 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) Compiled by RAMHP Program Manager Tessa Caton
RAMHP Program Updates
Supporting communities affected by the intensifying drought remains a strong priority for Train, Link and Inform RAMHP Coordinators. Support has included: 1 January – 31 March 2019 • Planning and attending social event for families • Extensively training Water NSW staff (27 courses to be delivered) • Attending various multi-agency roadshows 450 people linked to care • Assisting with the integration of Drought Support Workers or Farming Family Counsellors across Murrumbidgee, Hunter New England and Western NSW Local Health Districts 1,432 participants trained
Two fires in Tabulam and Tingha had a significant impact on those communities. RAMHP Coordinators 95 community events Steve Carrigg, Sam Osborne and Letitia Cross all responded swiftly. attended The last Baggy Blues & RAMHP Rural Mental Health Cricket Tour was completed in Bega. An evaluation of the tour is currently underway.
Piloting of Workplace Support Skills training for Rabobank continues. This will inform the development of a tailored version of the course for Rabobank, and potential nation-wide rollout.
RAMHP was able to welcome media personality, Gus Worland as our first RAMHP Ambassador. Gus not only brings a high profile, but a true passion for men’s mental health.
Dubbo RAMHP Coordinator, Camilla Kenny was recognised highly for her leadership and contribution to her local community by being nominated for NSW Young Woman of the Year.
All RAMHPs training resources were re-vamped with the latest statistics and information about mental health.
17 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) cont. Compiled by RAMHP Program Manager Tessa Caton
Recruitment Updates
RAMHP welcomed a number of new Coordinators, including: • Alison Tye based in Nowra • Matt Milne based in Tamworth; and • Sonia Cox based in Lithgow
The Nowra Coordinator position has been advertised and interviews completed.
Interviews were also held for RAMHP Coordinator positions in Mudgee and Orange.
A slight restructure of the CRRMH based RAMHP team has occurred, with two new positions established:
• RAMHP Strategic Projects Manager
• RAMHP Communications Coordinator
18 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Staff News and Achievements Compiled by Senior Development Officer Vanessa Delaney
Awards and Acknowledgements New staff
Congratulations to Rural Adversity Mental The CRRMH welcomed new Administration Officer Health Program Coordinator Camilla Kenny Joanna Joseph to the team in March. Jo comes to us with who received a nomination for the Harvey a wealth of experience in both private and non- Norman Young Woman of the Year. government organisations. As the first point of contact at Camilla is well regarded in the communities CRRMH, Jo’s smile, welcoming nature and willingness to in which she works and her passion for rural assist ensure that visitors are made welcome. Her role mental health is clearly evident. includes support for staff with IT systems and hardware, records management and ensuring our technology is Despite not claiming the crown, being nominated as a finalist is such an honour used to its potential. We are excited to have Jo join the and we are extremely proud of Camilla. admin team and look forward to future developments. In Jo’s spare time she enjoys good coffee, catching up with friends, gardening and cooking along with playing chauffeur to her youngest daughter and attempting to train a rescue dog with the hope of one day taking it for a proper walk.
Farewells
In March RAMHP Senior Project Officer Vicky Smyth left her position to take up an exciting community engagement role with the NSW Mental Health Commission in Sydney. Vicky has worked in various project roles at the CRRMH over the past several years.
19 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Staff News and Achievements Compiled by Senior Development Officer Vanessa Delaney
Training and workshops
• On 19 February, CRRMH Research lead Hazel Dalton attended a WNSW LHD Research Lecture Series: Rural health economics 101 with Professor Chris Doran who discussed health economics in a rural context and presented some of his extensive research in a range of rural health settings. Chris is currently a Professor of Health Economics in the Centre for Indigenous Health Equity Research, Cent ral Queensland University. The RAMHP and Research teams were lucky enough to spend the afternoon talking suicide with Professor Doran.
• Congratulations to Senior Development Officer Vanessa Delaney who was successful in her application to be part of the Univers ity of Newcastle’s Emerging Leaders and Managers Program (eLAMP) this year. eLAMP is a program of the LH Martin Institute and is a combination of online and face-to-face learning for new and aspiring managers in the tertiary education sector.
• On 14 March our Research and RAMHP teams attended a University of Newcastle Consumer and Community Engagement session, which was designed to build knowledge and capacity of health professionals conducting research to enhance and improve the involvement and engagement of consumers in research. First-hand examples were heard of how concepts have been applied in a research project from a consumer representative.
• On 20 March CRRMH researcher Angela Booth attended a Research Methods training course at the University of Newcastle’s Sydney Campus which provided a great overview of the process of conducting research and key considerations when developing a researc h study.
20 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 1: Research
On 5 February, Scott Fitzpatrick attended the Australian National University, Centre for Mental Health Research (CMHR) 2019 Workshop Series - Suicide Prevention in Australia Challenges and Strategies in Canberra. The w orkshop was convened by the CMHR around the visit of Professor Eric Caine (Co-Director, Centre for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, Rochester University, USA). Professor Caine presented on international perspectives on suicide prevention.
Kristina Gottschalljoined Jenny Roberts from Dementia Australia’s Memory Van to host a community forum in Nyngan on 18 February. The event w as well-attended and w ell- received w ith dementia carers, health service providers and interested community members in attendance. https://verilyconnect.org.au/.
New castle research staff travelled to Orange on 11 March for a Research Planning Day w hich covered overall direction for the team and priority areas, funding and training opportunities and collaboration w ith the RAMHP team.
Also on 11 March, Kristina Gottschall and Jenny Roberts from Dementia Australia again joined forces to educate the Molong community on dementia and memory loss. The event w as well received and a w orthwhile opportunity to spread information on local support netw orks available.
On 16 March, Scott Fitzpatrick gave a guest lecture to Masters of Public Health students at The University of Sydney as part of a 2 day intensive for the unit Public Health: Critical Challenges. Scott’s lecture addressed key issues relating to mental health as a public health issue such as the scope of public health action and the challenges of implementing population-based policies. The day w as attended by over 70 students w ith another 150 students attending online.
Check out Hazel Dalton’s blog on the key learnings from the Books on Prescription Scheme: https://www.crrmh.com.au/blog/key-learnings-books-prescription-scheme/
On 26 March, Hazel Dalton presented at the 15th National Rural Health Conference in Hobart. With the conference theme better together, her presentation on collaborative approaches to community w ellbeing w as well placed. The biennial conference is managed by the National Rural Health Alliance, recommendations arising from the conference can be accessed here. Over 1,100 delegates attended w ith the common aspiration to help achieve equitable health for the 7 million Australians living in rural and remote areas. The social determinants of health w as a strong theme and draw ing upon his Scottish collaborative experience, Sir Harry Burns encouraged audiences to take a strengths focus when tacking these challenges: “Public policy fails because we focus on problems, needs and deficiencies - we amplify problems…this triggers our collective stress response… making it worse. Improvements in health and well-being will be seen when we shift the financial power held by government to sharing power to frontline staff to ceding power to co-produce programmes with citizens”
21 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 2: Proposals
Submitted Proposals Perkins D, Dalton HE, Fitzpatrick SJ, Handley T, Considine R. HAC18-425 EOI to NSW Health to evaluate Suicide Prevention Fund 2016-2020 - Submitted Jan 2019. ~$300,000 sought.
McGinty S et al. Tropical Brain and Mind Foundation. (Inc. H Dalton). Creating an Australian Mentally Healthy City – Tow nsville. Medical Research Future Fund – Frontier Health and Medical Research Stage One – Research Plan, $505,272 sought.
22 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 3: Publications
Published Papers Handley T. (2019) End of Life Care in a sample of Regional and Rural NSW – w hat is the current situation and w hat are the problems? A w hite paper developed to support the w ork of NSW Regional Health Partners. NSW Regional Health Partners, New castle, Australia. ISBN – 978-0-6484912-0- 0 https://www.crrmh.com.au/content/uploads/end-of-life-white-paper.pdf
Accepted Publications Kay-Lambkin, F., Gilbert, J., Pedemont, L., Sunderland, M., Dalton, H., Handley, T., Chan, S., Perkins, D., Kelly, B. Prevention and early intervention for people aged 18 and over w ith, or at risk of, mild to moderate depression and anxiety: An Evidence Check rapid review brokered by the Sax Institute (www.saxinstitute.org.au) for Beyond Blue, 2018.
Kelly B, Handley T, Kissane D, Vamos M, Attia J. “An indelible mark” The response to participation in euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide among doctors: a review of research findings. Palliative & Supportive Care, accepted for publication 14/03/2019.
Submitted Publications Berg E, Wilhlem K, Handley T. Is there an association betw een dietary habits and recurrent deliberate self -harm? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, submitted 03/02/2019.
Davies, K., Read, D., Booth, A., Turner, N., Gottschall, K., and Perkins, D. Connecting with social and emotional w ellbeing in rural Australia: An evaluation of the ‘We Yarn’, Aboriginal gatekeeper suicide prevention w orkshop, Australian Indigenous Health Bulletin, submitted 22/02/2019.
Under Review Read, D.M.Y., Dalton, H., Booth, A., Goodwin, N., Hendry, A., and Perkins, D. Using the Project INTEGRATE framew ork in practice in Central Coast, Australia, International Journal of Integrated Care, submitted: 1 November 2018.
Dalton HE, Read DMY, Booth A, Perkins D, Goodw in N, Hendry A, Handley T, Davies K, Bishop M, Sheather-Reid R, Bradfield S, Lew is P, Gazzard T, Critchley A, Wilcox S. The Central Coast Integrated Care Program (CCICP), NSW Australia: A Case Study. International Journal of Integrated Care, submitted: 24 November 2018.
Maddox, S., Read, D., Powell, N., Caton, T., Dalton, H. and Perkins, D. Reorientation of the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program: the value of a programlogic model. Rural and Remote Health, submitted 29 November 2018
23| Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 4: Conferences
Presented Luscombe G, Lee A, New man J, Halls M, Fitzpatrick S, McEvoy L, Bailey J. Enhancing healthcare access for rural Aboriginal adolescents: a population health approach. National Rural Health Conference, Hobart, Tasmania. 24-27 March 2019.
Dalton, H. Rural suicide prevention through building healthy and resilient people and communities. National Rural Health Conference, Hobart, Tasmania. 24- 27 March 2019.
Submitted Blackberry, I (Perkins, D– co-author) ‘Creating virtual dementia-friendly rural communities: Are w e ready yet?’. International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics European Region Congress, 23-25 May 2019, Gothenburg, Sw eden.
Fitzpatrick, SJ. Rethinking rural suicide: Accommodating complexity and difference. Rural Issues Symposium – The Future of Rural Sociology in Australia. The Australian Sociological Association, 28 June 2019, Bendigo VIC.
Fitzpatrick SJ. Rethinking rural suicide: Broadening the evidence base and scope of action. National Suicide Prevention Australia Conference, Melbourne 22- 25 July 2019.
Dalton, H. and Pow ell, N. 90min Workshop - “A collaborative approach to community w ellbeing”. Mental Health Services Conference, 27-30 August, Brisbane.
24 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 5: PhD Students
Emma Austin
Emma continues to work towards the submission of her fourth results chapter.
Sophun Moch
Sophun continues to analyse qualitative data for a descriptive study on suicide deaths in Tasmanian rural communities from 2010- 2016 as part of his thesis.
25 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 6: Library
New Library Listings
All our relations: Finding the path forward, [s.l.]: A List, c2018, 362.280835 TALA 2018 CAN: Camberwell assessment of need: a comprehensive needs assessment tool for people with severe mental illness/Mike Slade [et al], London: Gaskell, c1999, 362.1968 SLAD 1999
Clinical mental health counselling: elements of effective practice/ed by J Scott Young, Craig S. Cashwell, Los Angeles: SAGE, c2016, 362.204256 YOUN 2016 Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed), Arlington, Va: American Psychiatric Association, c2013, 616.89075 DIAG 2013 c.2 Drinking, drug use and addiction in the autism community/Elizabeth Kunreuther et al, London, Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, c2018, 616.85882 KUNR 2018 Essentials of managing patients with a psychiatric disorder/ Brenda Marshall, New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, c2018, 616.89156 MARS 2018 Marrinan, Theresa (2013) Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A Practitioners Guide. A guide to mental health issues in girls and young women on the autism spectrum: diagnosis, intervention and family support/ Dr Judy Eaton, London; Philaphelia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, c2018, 616.85882 EATO 2018
26 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 7: Media Activity
Date Media Type Topic Spokesperson Link
JANUARY 7.01.2019 Central Western Daily Drought relief measures RAMHP mentioned https://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/5839235/hortic ulturalists-shoved-aside-by-government-in-drought-relief- measures/ 14.01.2019 Grenfell Record Australia Day Nominees RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill https://www.grenfellrecord.com.au/story/5849142/australia- mentioned day-nominees/
18.01.2019 Bendigo Advertiser Suicide rate continues to plague CRRMH research position paper https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5857323/suicide rural areas referenced -rate-continues-to-plague-rural-areas/ 18.01.2019 Ballarat Courier Suicide rate continues to plague CRRMH research position paper https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5857321/suicide-rate- rural areas referenced continues-to-plague-rural-areas/?cs=13390 Jan WIN New s Di Gill and Honour Roll RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill No link
21.01.2019 ABC Western Plains Camilla Kenny Aw ard Nominee RAMHP Mentioned No link
21.01.2019 WIN new s NSW Young Woman of the Year RAMHP Coordinator Camilla https://www.facebook.com/WINNew sCentralWest/videos/293 Finalist and RAMHP Kenny 536921354388/UzpfSTI5NDE1NDE5NzQ0NzgxNToxMDIw M TQ5ODMxNTE0OTEx/ 21.01.2019 ABC Western Plains NSW Young Woman of the Year RAMHP Coordinator Camilla No link Finalist Kenny
21.01.2019 Dubbo Daily Liberal NSW Young Woman of the Year RAMHP Coordinator Camilla No link Finalist Kenny
27 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 7: Media Activity
Date Media Type Topic Spokesperson Link
JANUARY 23.01.2019 Narromine new s Camilla Kenny Aw ard Nominee RAMHP Mentioned https://www.narrominenewsonline.com.au/story/5862655/ne w -to-the-board-of-the-western-nsw-local-health/?cs=1490
23.01.2019 Far West LHD w ebsite Innovation Award RAMHP Coordinator Marie Kelly No link
29.1.2019 Tenterfield Star Drought help at this year’s show RAMHP mentioned https://www.tenterfieldstar.com.au/story/5876453/drought- (Tenterfield) help-and-a-bit-of-farmer-pampering-at-this-years- show /?cs=1514 30.01.2019 ABC Central West Drought, heat and mental health RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill TBC
30.1.2019 ABC NSW Country Drought, heat and mental health RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nsw-country- Hour hour/nsw-country- hour/10744580?fbclid=Iw AR3zMRDBxSDY- ajSzqpi6w iYa_r7-UF1PoX-60dEMUB7WWh69yDcpTlYT_I 31.01.2019 Dubbo Photo New s NSW Young Woman of the Year RAMHP Coordinator Camilla No link Finalist Kenny
31.01.2019 Prime New s Central NSW Young Woman of the Year RAMHP Coordinator Camilla No link West Finalist and RAMHP Overview Kenny
FEBRUARY 5.02.2019 Far West LHD Monthly Acknowledgement of RAMHP RAMHP Coordinator Marie Kelly No link New sletter w ork around drought in the district, and Pooncarie v Anabranch cricket match for men's mental health
28 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 7: Media Activity
Date Media Type Topic Spokesperson Link
FEBRUARY 6.02.2019 Nyngan Observer VERILY Connect in Nyngan CRRMH Research Assistant Kris https://www.nynganobserver.com.au/story/5885584/memory- Gottschall van-to-deliver-free-dementia-aware-seminar-for-residents/
8.02.2019 Bega District New s Sydney Thunder members to RAMHP Coordinator Jen https://www.begadistrictnews.com.au/story/5894497/sydney- play Tw enty20 match in Bega Keioskie thunder-members-to-play-twenty20-match-in-bega-with- w ith mental health focus mental-health-focus/ 8.02.2019 WIN New s Sydney Thunder members to RAMHP Coordinator Jen No link play Tw enty20 match in Bega Keioskie w ith mental health focus 8.02.2019 Forbes Advocate Drought, heat, sleep deprivation RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill No link
11.02.2019 Radio 2WEB Bourke VERILY Connect event in CRRMH Research Assistant Kris https://soundcloud.com/2web-outback-radio Nyngan Gottschall
11.02.2019 The Daily Liberal Dubbo cricketer Brett Paul RAMHP mentioned https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/5897524/paul-on-the- recovering after suffering heart road-to-recovery-after-vital-quick-and-calm-response/ attack during RSL-Kelly Cup match 13.02.2019 The Canow indra Our Gal – Di Gill RAMHP mentioned https://www.canowindraphoenix.com.au/our-gal-di-gill/ Phoenix
18.02.2019 ABC Western Plains VERILY Connect event in CRRMH Research Assistant Kris No link Nyngan Gottschall 18.02.2019 Sunraysia Weekly Men’s Mental Health Cricket RAMHP Coordinator Marie Kelly No link game
29 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 7: Media Activity
Date Media Type Topic Spokesperson Link
FEBRUARY 18.02.2019 ABC Mildura Men’s Mental Health Cricket RAMHP Coordinator Marie Kelly No link game
18.02.2019 Dubbo Daily Hidden Treasure RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill No link
18.02.2019 ABC South East Rainbow Waves Festival RAMHP Coordinator Jen No link Keioskie 19.02.2019 ABC Central West and UNICEF Report on Drought RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill No link ABC NSW Country affecting kids Hour 19.02.2019 ABC South East RAMHP and Baggy Blues RAMHP Coordinator Jen No link Keioiskie
20.02.2019 Northern NSW LHD Mental health support for fire RAMHP Coordinator Steve https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/blog/2019/02/20/mental- w ebsite affected communities Carrigg health-support-for-fire-affected-communities/
20.02.2019 Northern Star Disaster recovery a marathon RAMHP Coordinator Steve Article on file not a sprint Carrigg
20.02.2019 Merimbula District Rainbow Waves Festival RAMHP Coordinator Jen No link New s Keioskie 20.02.2019 About Regional – Baggy Blues RAMHP Coordinator Jen No link online Keioskie
20.02.2019 Mirage New s Allianz helps bat the blues in RAMHP – Baggy Blues project https://www.miragenews.com/allianz-helps-bat-the-blues-in- rural and regional Australia rural-and-regional-australia/
30 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 7: Media Activity
Date Media Type Topic Spokesperson Link
FEBRUARY 21.02.2019 WIN TV Hidden Treasure Aw ard RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill No link
21.02.2019 ABC Statew ide Drive RAMHP RAMHP Program Manager https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nsw-statewide- w ith Fiona Whyllie Tessa Caton drive/statewide-drive/10814114
21.02.2019 Crookw ell Gazette Sip, don’t gulp! Economics of life CRRMH paper mentioned https://www.crookwellgazette.com.au/story/5909414/sip- at the pub dont-gulp-economics-of-life-at-the-pub/?cs=13403 21.02.2019 Echo NetDaily Mental health support for fire RAMHP Coordinator Steve https://www.echo.net.au/2019/02/mental-health-support-fire- affected communities Carrigg affected-communities/ 22.02.2019 Daily Liberal Dubbo included in series of RAMHP mentioned https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/5914534/one-stop- outreach sessions on drought shop-in-dubbo-offers-drought-support-and-information/ relief 23.02.2019 Allianz Australia RAMHP and Baggy Blues RAMHP https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/breaking- new s/allianz-australia-hits-six-for-cricket-tour-with- sponsorship-159772.aspx 26.02.2019 The Northern Daily Tw o more rural support w orkers RAMHP mentioned https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/5924685/more- Leader support-available-for-farmers-to-handle-drought/?cs=159
27.02.2019 Molong Express VERILY Connect event in CRRMH Research Assistant Kris On file Molong Gottschall MARCH March Article in Mind Food Coping w ith Drought – Seeds of RAMHP Manager Tessa Caton Article on file Magazine (March hope edition)
31 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 7: Media Activity
Date Media Type Topic Spokesperson Link
MARCH 1.03.2019 The Namoi Valley Getting through drought: tips RAMHP mentioned https://www.nvi.com.au/story/5932693/resilience-means- Independent from resilience consultant in bounce-forward-not-back-muster-crowd-hears/ Gunnedah 5.03.2019 The Young Witness A Big Dry meeting at Milvale Hall RAMHP Coordinator Faith https://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/5936805/a-big-dry- Rogers mentioned meeting-at-milvale-hall/?cs=1540
6.03.2019 The Sydney Morning Drought and research – mental CRRMH Director Professor https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/drought-stricken- Herald health David Perkins farmers-don-t-want-to-talk-to-a-city-slicker-20190305- p511t6.html 9.03.2019 The Musw ellbrook Fishing w ith a farmer organises RAMHP Coordinator Sarah https://www.muswellbrookchronicle.com.au/story/5943911/th Chronicle hoping to lure more people w ith Green row ing-farmers-a-line/ second installment 13.03.2019 ABC online Trailblazer program and RAMHP RAMHP Program Manager – No link support Tessa Caton
14.03.2019 ABC WA Margaret River Mental Health CRRMH Director Prof David https://www.margaretrivermail.com.au/story/5949950/august Report Perkins a-margaret-river-mental-health-report-open-for- comment/?cs=12 14.03.2019 August Margaret River Augusta Margaret River mental CRRMH https://www.margaretrivermail.com.au/story/5949950/august Mail health report open for comment a-margaret-river-mental-health-report-open-for- comment/?cs=12 15.03.2019 Forbes Advocate Looking at Lancare/ Our 2020 RAMHP mentioned https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.forbe NSWRWG Submission sadvocate.com.au/story/5954025/2020-nsw-rural-women- Committee have been busy come-together-for-the-future/ sourcing drought 15.03.2019 The Northern Daily How to stay safe on the farm: RAMHP mentioned https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/5956988/stay- Leader students’ training day safe-on-the-farm-on-the-quad-and-in-the-mind-training/
32 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019 Appendix 7: Media Activity
Date Media Type Topic Spokesperson Link
MARCH 17.03.2019 The Sydney Morning Drought-stricken farmers ‘don’t CRRMH Director Prof David https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/drought-stricken- Herald w ant to talk to a city slicker’ Perkins farmers-don-t-want-to-talk-to-a-city-slicker-20190305- p511t6.html 21.03.2019 Stephan Decal - ABC Senate Enquiry CRRMH Director Prof David No link Perkins
26.03.2019 Yass Tribune Managing stress during drought RAMHP Coordinator Judy https://www.yasstribune.com.au/story/5974320/managing- by Judy Carmody Carmody stress-during-drought/ 26.03.2019 The Weekly Times Free holiday for drought- RAMHP Program Manager https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/rural- (Qld) impacted farmers Tessa Caton quoted w eekly/livestock/outback-family-in-drought-gifted-a-free- holiday/new s-story/ 28.03.2019 ABC New s Sleeping rough in Margaret CRRMH referenced for draft https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-28/report-shows- River – CRRMH draft report report on the mental health of margaret-river-struggling-with-homelessness/10934838 the Augusta-Margaret River Shire 28.03.2019 Washington Post Drought and mental health RAMHP Coordinator Camilla https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/as-vast- Kenny interview ed sw aths-of-australia-dry-out-a-mental-health-crisis-takes- shape/2019/03/27/a13190a8-4f05-11e9-af35- 1fb9615010d7_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e9aaef 1be983
29.03.3019 Daily Mail The tow n w here it’s too CRRMH quoted https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6862743/Tourist- expensive to live in a TENT: havens-homelessness-crisis-rent-spirals-control.html Famous tourist haven’s dark side is revealed
33 | Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Quarterly Report: January – March 2019
RAMHP QUARTERLY UPDATE JANUARY – MARCH 2019 RAMHP Quarterly Update Report, January – March 2019
RAMHP Quarterly Update Report: January – March 2019
This report is intended to provide an update for our key stakeholders on the work being undertaken by the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP). It is intended that this report will be emailed to key stakeholders and also available on the Program’s website and that of the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health. Please email comments or questions to: [email protected].
Table of Contents
Section Page Number
General RAMHP Program Updates 3
Data Considerations 13
RAMHP Updates by Program Component 14
LINK 14
TRAIN 19
INFORM 21
| 2 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
The Rural Adversity Mental Health Program – Tessa Caton Recruitment Updates
RAMHP Program Updates • RAMHP welcomed a number of new Coordinators, including: • Alison Tye based in Nowra • Supporting communities affected by the intensifying drought • Matt Milne based in Tamworth; and remains a strong priority for RAMHP Coordinators. Support has • Sonia Cox based in Lithgow included: • Nowra Position, advertised and interviews completed • Planning and attending social event for families • Interviews were also held for RAMHP Coordinator positions in • Extensively training Water NSW staff (27 courses to be Mudgee and Orange delivered) • A slight restructure of the CRRMH based RAMHP team has • Attending various multi-agency roadshows occurred, with two new positions established: • Assisting with the integration of Drought Support Workers or • RAMHP Strategic Projects Manager Farming Family Counsellors across Murrumbidgee, HNE and • RAMHP Communications Coordinator Western LHDs • Two fires in Tabulam and Tingha had a significant impact on those communities. RAMHP Coordinators Steve Carrigg, Sam Osborne and Letitia Cross all responded swiftly Report 1 Highlights • The last Baggy Blues & RAMHP Rural Mental Health Cricket Tour was completed in Bega. An evaluation of the tour is currently • 450 People Linked to Care underway between Jan – Mar 2019 • Piloting of Workplace Support Skills training for Rabobank continues. This will inform the development of a tailored version of the course for • 66 Training Courses were Rabobank, and potential nation-wide rollout delivered to 1,432 participants • RAMHP was able to welcome media personality, Gus Worland as between Jan – Mar 2019 our first RAMHP Ambassador. Gus not only brings a high profile, but a true passion for men’s mental health • 95 Community Events were • Dubbo RAMHP Coordinator, Camilla Kenny was recognised highly attended by RAMHP Coordinators for her leadership and contribution to her local community by being between Jan – Mar 2019 nominated for NSW Young Woman of the Year • All RAMHPs training resources were re-vamped with the latest statistics and information about mental health | 3 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
RAMHP Communication Highlights– Jocelyn Johnston
The Communications team hit the ground running in 2019 with the New Video Resources development of some new resources and the roll out of some key RAMHP released two new videos in February. "Managing Stress" was initiatives including a new Ambassador Program for RAMHP. Our first designed for individuals and rural communities while "Understanding Ambassador is television and radio personality Gus Worland. We will be Drought-related Stress" was designed for health professionals. promoting this exciting announcement shortly across all our communication channels. The videos are available on our website and YouTube, with a total of 157 views of our "Managing Stress" video and 90 views of our "Understanding Drought-related Stress" videos on YouTube.
Click here to view our "Managing Stress" video and click here to view our "Understanding Drought-related Stress" video.
Website During this quarter the RAMHP website received 3,613 website sessions (+11%) The average website session was 2:38 mins.
The top 5 pages were as follows: 1. Homepage – 2,364 views 2. Downloadable Resources – 452 views 3. About Us – 388 views 4. About Us: Meet the Team – 387 views 5. Find a RAMHP Coordinator – 361 views RAMHP eNewsletters RAMHP released one eNewsletter during this period. Our February eNewsletter, 'Let's Talk' about seeing your GP was delivered to 489 recipients and had almost a 50% open rate. Click here to view.
| 4 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
Media Highlights
During the first quarter in 2019, various RAMHP Coordinators and the RAMHP Manager were interviewed about current issues and key initiatives. Key topics included the Baggy Blues Tour with RAMHP, the ongoing drought and impact on mental wellbeing, the Tabulam fires, Camilla and Di being nominated for awards and the UNICEF report on how drought is affecting kids.
This quarter also saw the team respond to various media requests including from the Washington Post, the Weekly Times (Qld), Mind Food Magazine, the Wellcome Trust Magazine (UK) and the ABC.
The team also worked with RAMHP Coordinator Judy Carmody to develop content for a regular monthly column in the Yass Tribune. The first one was published on 26 March. •Managing stress during drought by RAMHP Coordinator Judy Carmody
Regular columns focussing on mental health issues will appear on the last Wednesday of each month.
Some examples of key media activity are presented in Table 1 on the following page. Please note this is a sample only. The full list can be seen in Appendix A of the CRRMH Quarterly Report.
| 5 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
Table 1: Overview of Media Interactions (note this is a sample Date Media Outlet Topic only) Spokesperson Link
21.10.2019 WIN news NSW Young Woman of the RAMHP Coordinator https://www.facebook.com/WINNe Year Finalist and RAMHP Camilla Kenny wsCentralWest/videos/293536921 354388/UzpfSTI5NDE1NDE5NzQ 0NzgxNToxMDIwMTQ5ODMxNTE 0OTEx/
30.1.2019 ABC NSW Country Drought, heat and mental RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill https://www.abc.net.au/radio/progr Hour health ams/nsw-country-hour/nsw- country- hour/10744580?fbclid=IwAR3zMR DBxSDY-ajSzqpi6wiYa_r7- UF1PoX- 60dEMUB7WWh69yDcpTlYT_I
5.02.2019 Far West LHD Acknowledgement of RAMHP Coordinator Marie No link Monthly Newsletter RAMHP work around Kelly drought in the district, and Pooncarie v Anabranch cricket match for men's | 6 mental health General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
Table 1: Overview of Media Interactions (continued)
Date Media Outlet Topic Spokesperson Link
8.02.2019 Bega District News Sydney Thunder members to play RAMHP https://www.begadistrictnews. Twenty20 match in Bega with Coordinator Jen com.au/story/5894497/sydney mental health focus Keioskie -thunder-members-to-play- twenty20-match-in-bega-with- mental-health-focus/
18.02.2019 ABC Mildura Men’s Mental Health Cricket game RAMHP No link Coordinator Marie Kelly 18.02.2019 ABC South East Rainbow Waves Festival RAMHP No link Coordinator Jennie Keioskie 20.02.2019 Northern NSW LHD Mental health support for fire RAMHP https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.go website affected communities Coordinator Steve v.au/blog/2019/02/20/mental- Carrigg health-support-for-fire- affected- communities/?fbclid=IwAR02 MXJjYqUuL0psArfShBHbcW BzvNFeCChRVAmtAfNATUs 3DDqOM63T0ps
| 7 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
Table 1: Overview of Media Interactions (continued) Date Media Outlet Topic Spokesperson Link
20.02.2019 Mirage News Allianz helps bat the RAMHP – Baggy Blues https://www.miragenews.com/a blues in rural and project llianz-helps-bat-the-blues-in- regional Australia rural-and-regional-australia/
21.02.2019 Echo NetDaily Mental health support RAMHP Coordinator Steve https://www.echo.net.au/2019/ for fire affected Carrigg 02/mental-health-support-fire- communities affected-communities/
26.03.2019 The Weekly Times (Qld) Free holiday for drought- RAMHP Program Manager https://www.weeklytimesnow.c impacted farmers Tessa Caton quoted om.au/news/rural- weekly/livestock/outback- family-in-drought-gifted-a-free- holiday/news- story/8dafae6a3ab0427fe7947 a5bbcae1d55?fbclid=IwAR05X ycMYVtQl6vbTpkg5o4KWV9K 3xWpnBJoePJORXwKcAiyavc k902ALPo&memtype=anonym ous 26.03.2019 Yass Tribune Managing stress during RAMHP Coordinator Judy https://www.yasstribune.com.a drought by Judy Carmody u/story/5974320/managing- Carmody stress-during-drought/
| 8 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
| 9 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
RAMHP Social Media – Ashleigh Middleton
The following table provides an overview of the key statistics for RAMHP’s Facebook page.
Table 2: Overview of RAMHP’s Facebook Page Statistics, Jan. – Mar. 2018
Statistic Impact
165 new likes were achieved during this period, bringing the total • Number of likes increased by 14.2% number of likes to 1,326
Post Publishing this quarter was 76 • This quarter featured a number of posts advertising the new Coordinator positions for Orange and Mudgee, along with the Communications Coordinator position • The new video 'Managing Stress' was distributed through RAMHPs social media channels this quarter
Engagement with posts: • Total engagements were down 31.4% − Reactions 1,660 • Posts that attracted high engagement included the announcement of Camilla Kenny's nomination for Young − Comments 202 Women of the Year, the release of UNICEF's report of − Shares 407 drought on children, and Marie Kelly's involvement in the "Blue Tree Project". − Link Clicks 820 | 10 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
RAMHP Social Media – Ashleigh Middleton
The following table provides an overview of the key statistics for RAMHP’s Twitter page.
Table 3: Overview of RAMHP’s Twitter Statistics, Jan. – Mar. 2018
Statistic Impact
17 new followers were achieved during this period, bring the total • RAMHP’s Twitter audience continues to increase number to 452
Post Publishing this quarter was 19 during this period • Publishing frequency decreased by 73% this quarter
19 Tweets during this period: − @mentions 30 • Engagement has decreased by 47% this quarter. − Replies 3 − Retweets 29 − Tweet Likes 59 − Retweet with comment 9
| 11 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
General RAMHP Program Updates
Overview of Social Media Jan – Mar 2018
‘Managing Stress’ video Social media was used to promote the newly created ‘Managing Stress’ video for medical practices and health care facilities.
Employment opportunities Advertising of new RAMHP Coordinator positions continued for positions located in Mudgee and Orange.
A paid campaign advertising the RAMHP Communications Coordinator position was also rolled out during this quarter.
Gus Worland ambassador announcement Social media was used to give followers a ‘sneak peek’ of new program ambassador, Triple M presenter Gus Worland.
Baggy Blues Cricket Tour The final leg of the Baggy Blues Cricket tour held in Bega was promoted during February.
| 12 General RAMHP Data RAMHP Updates by LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Considerations Program Component
Data Considerations
This Report 1 represents the first period of data collected using the RAMHP App in 2019. There are a number of considerations which must be taken into account when interpreting the results of this Report. These include:
• Annual leave taken by RAMHP Coordinators during the reporting period may impact on their data presented in the Report.
• The correctness of data from the RAMHP App relies on the accurate data entry of the RAMHP Coordinators.
| 13 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
How Many People Were Linked?
Chart 1: Number of Links Jul. 2018 – Mar. 2019, by Linkage Type
279
151
724 140
Number of Links Number of 573 310
Jul - Sep 2018 Oct - Dec 2018 Jan - Mar 2019 Quarter
Linked someone to services/resources to help someone else Linked someone to services/resources for themselves
• From January – March 2019, 450 people were linked to mental • The majority of links (n= 310, 69%) were people seeking health support services or resources by RAMHP Coordinators. assistance for themselves.
| 14 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
How Did Linking Take Place?
Chart 2: Proportion of Links Jan. – Mar. 2019, by Method of Linkage • During January – March 2019, the largest number of links took place when RAMHP Coordinators attended community events 10% (n=72, 28%) or provided advice to another professional 1% (n=61, 24%). 28% 8% • A considerable proportion of linkages also occurred as a result of providing training (n=42, 16%), despite fewer training courses being delivered during this quarter.
13%
16%
24%
I met them at a community event or meeting They attended training I delivered I provided linking advice to a professional in my partnerships/networks Through phone or email contact The ‘person in need’ works for a service in my partnerships/networks The ‘person in need’ was referred from another service Other
Note: (n=259). 191 cases were not included as they were group links i.e. when a number of people are linked at the same time for a specific issue. | 15 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
What Symptoms Or Issues Were RAMHP Coordinators Assisting With?
Chart 3: The Ten Most Frequent Symptoms Identified when Linking, Jan. – Mar. 2019
Physical health concerns 54
Grief and loss 68
Pre-existing mental health disorder 73
Symptoms of an emerging mental health disorder 79
Disaster or adverse event 91
Relationship concerns 100
Work or financial concerns 149
Change in behaviour 156
Drought 183
Stress 368
Number of Times a Symptom is Selected
• The 10 most common issues or symptoms RAMHP Coordinators • The issue drought (n=183, 12%) was added to the RAMHP App in assisted with are presented above. More than one issue or symptom August 2018, and was the second most common issue or symptom can be selected for each person linked (N=1,553). RAMHP Coordinators assisted with this quarter.
• The most common issue or symptom was stress (n=368, 24%). • Other types of disasters or adverse events (n=91, 6%) also entered the top 10 this quarter.
| 16 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
What Support Or Resources Were Suggested by RAMHP Coordinators?
Chart 4: Number of Times a Type of Support or Resource was Suggested, Jan. – Mar. 2019
Child protection services 2 Housing assistance service 5 Legal aid 9 Alcohol or Other Drug Service 10 Other 12 Carer support service 21 Education support services 23 Non-Gov MH Team 23 Family or relationship service 25 Employment support services 25 Social worker 27 Youth services 37 Farmgate 47 Social support group 56 CMHT 64 Material or financial assistance service 66 Emergency services 68 Rural assistance services 112 MH Line or Accessline 131 Private specialist 138 Website information, online therapy or e-mental health 139 Other mental health telephone support service 142 Printed information 201 I provided strategies 247 GP 276 Number of Times a Suggestion was Given • RAMHP Coordinators usually provide more than one type of • Farmgate was added as an option to the RAMHP App in support or resource when they link (N=1,906). December 2018. This will assist with collecting data on the utilisation and activity of LHD Farmgate Counsellors (now • The most common support or resources provided by RAMHP referred to as Drought Support Workers or Farming Family Coordinators were the recommendation to visit a GP (n=276, Counsellors) funded under the NSW Government Drought 14%), practical strategies (n=247, 13%) and printed Package. There were 47 (2%) links to Farmgate Counsellors information (n=201, 11%). this quarter.
| 17 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
Coordinators’ Stories From Those We Help
I was contacted by the RSPCA concerned A Rural Financial Counsellor expressed about removal of a significant number of dogs. concerns for a number of clients who are The owner is elderly, vulnerable and has a experiencing high levels of stress. I explained the history of mental illness. I provided support to various clinical services and referral options, plus the RSPCA, and organised services to be how to have the conversation with the available to support the owner during removal. individuals, including use of RAMHP resources to I also arranged for mental health services to A service worker at a Recovery facilitate the discussion. follow up with the owner. Centre was distressed due to decisions made around evacuation processes and concern for family members directly impacted by fires. I provided brief psychological support and encouraged them to I spoke with a mother of four, who is access EAP, their GP and put in The organiser of event celebrating LGBTIQ homeless as a result of fire. They lost all their place self-care strategies. community was feeling overwhelmed with possessions including their home. The organising the event as well as unintended mother was concerned about the impact of consequences of speaking openly about the trauma on her teenage children. I linked growing up gay in the local area. They were her to practical assistance, provided brief A man who attended one of my aware of lots of negative messages on social psychological support and connected them training courses said he is media. The person has a lot of supports but I with disaster relief services. concerned about his neighbour encouraged them to get advice from ACON who is a refugee. He believes the both personally and professionally. neighbour is very socially isolated and struggling financially. I suggested contact with Social Justice Advocates.
| 18 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
How Much Training Was Delivered?
Chart 5: Number of Training Courses Delivered, by Course Type, Chart 6: Number of Training Participants, Jul. 2018 – Mar. 2019 Jul. 2018 – Mar. 2019
122
10 3
17 88 6 21 4 66 23 1 5 2,906
39 17 1,927 Number of Training Courses 31 1,432 17 0
20 4 Number of Training Participants 11 22 10 8 3 Jul-Sep 2018 Oct-Dec 2018 Jan-Mar 2019 Jul-Sep 2018 Oct-Dec 2018 Jan-Mar 2019 Total number of training participants across all training courses Quarter
CSS WSS HISS TT MHFA W&Y VW GTD Total
• From January – March 2019, 66 training courses were • RAMHP Coordinators delivered training to 1,432 participants this delivered by RAMHP Coordinators. quarter.
• The most common training courses delivered were Workplace • On average each course contained 22 participants. Support Skills (n=22, 33%), Tailored Training (n=17, 26%) and Mental Health First Aid (n=17, 26%).
| 19 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
Who Did RAMHP Coordinators Train?
Chart 7: Number of Training Courses, Audience Type, Jan. – Mar. 2019 • Training courses were predominantly comprised of Other government or council 10 government or council employees (n=10, 15%) and community groups or organisations (n=10, 15%). Community group or organisation 10
General Community Members 7 • RAMHP has been delivering training to Water NSW staff across Western NSW, Far West, Murrumbidgee and Primary industry 7 Hunter New England.
Physical health (eg medical) 6
Sports 4
Mental health 3 Examples of Organisations Trained Mixed welfare services 3 • Red Cross Education 3 • Water NSW
Disability 3 • Men’s Shed NSW
Audience Type • Narrabri Community College Other Private Business 2 • Compass Housing
Other 2 • Cowra Disability Services • Oyster Coast Australia Heavy industry 1 • Pearl's Place • Charles Sturt University Youth 1 • NSW Carers Respite Housing 1 • Byron Bay Council Executive
Carers 1
Aboriginal 1
Police or emergency services 1
Number of Training Courses | 20 General RAMHP RAMHP Updates by Data Considerations LINK TRAIN INFORM Program Updates Program Component
What Audiences Were Reached Through Community Events?
Chart 8: Coordinator Attendance at Community Events, by Audience Type, Jan. – Mar. 2019 • RAMHP Coordinators attended a large number of farming (n=40, 42%) and general community (n=36, 38%) events. Farming 40 • Many drought-related events continue to take place across NSW. Examples of drought-related events attended by RAMHP General community 36 Coordinators included the Federal Government Drought Assistance Roadshow, Drought Convoy, Bowls Day for Drought Affected Families in Lake Cargelligo and Pilliga Community Drought Meeting. Education 4
Youth 3
Men 3 AudienceType
Women 3
Service Providers 3
Aboriginal 2
Fire affected communities 1
Coordinator Attendance at Community Events
| 21 If you have any questions regarding the content of this Report, please contact: Tessa Caton Program Manager, RAMHP Ph: 0484 339 996 Email: [email protected]