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LOCALS
have welcomed the NSW health minister Reba Meagher's
announcement that an $8.9 million 20-bed mental
health facility will be built in Griffith.
On
Wednesday during the official opening of the emergency
department upgrade, Ms Meagher said the new non-acute
mental health unit will greatly improve access
to mental health care and reduce the need to travel
for specialist treatment.
Elated
Suicide Awareness president Val Rowe, who has
spent the past four years pushing for improved
services, including championing the Bricks for
Life campaign, called the announcement "the
best news she's ever heard".
The
Bricks for Life campaign asked the Griffith commumity
to buy a brick to build its own safe house. To
date, more than $10,000 has been raised with business
and tradesmen signing on to offer support. "For
four years I've been nagging, writing letters,
meeting ministers and finally they have woken
up that we need it," Ms Rowe said. "I
just hope they are going to keep the community
informed, because as we've seen from the number
who offered support with the bricks idea, everyone
wanted to be involved. When I heard the news it
was such a relief. I feel like the Griffith people
have won lotto."
Mayor
Dino Zappacosta agreed it was good news for the
whole community. "Mental health issues and
access to services were identified during the
consultation phase for the Griffith Community
Action Plan (CAP)," Cr Zappacosta said. "In
fact, people believed the services this city required
most of all were within the field of health, including
mental health. One of the key strategies of the
CAP was to increase the provision of mental health
services - an issue that was also identified in
the NSW State Plan. The minister's announcement
today will make major inroads in achieving these
goals by providing a dedicated, local facility
to help local people suffering from mental health
issues."
Planning
for the unit has commenced and construction work
is expected to begine by mid 2009. Several options
are currently under consideration and a location
at the Griffith Base Hospital site is yet to be
decided.
Story
by Tanya Pattison, The Area News, February 15
2008.
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