A landmark Mental Health Roundtable in Longreach (17th September) will hear that better integration between hospitals, GPs and other health providers, along with meaningful community engagement, are keys to responding to the disturbing impacts of mental illness in rural and regional Queensland.

The Queensland-first meeting will bring together a range of service providers operating at the coalface of rural hardship, where outback communities are battling high rates of anxiety, emotional trauma and depression, exacerbated by the prolonged drought.

The Central West Mental Health Roundtable, held in the heart of drought-ravaged Queensland will bring together stakeholders from Local Government Authorities, Rural Financial Counselling Services, WQPHN Commissioned Service Providers and State Government Mental Health Services.  The Roundtable will also include representatives from the Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) which encompasses seven shires in the Central West and co-ordinates financial counselling in the region.

The Roundtable is part of a three-day mental health forum in Longreach including Queensland’s Mental
Health Commission and members of the Queensland Mental Health and Drug Advisory Council.

The full media release can be found here.

Queensland Country Life news article can be found here.

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