Coast & Country Primary Care (formerly known as Central Coast Primary Care) has launched a new suicide program called The Way Back Support Service.
The service has been designed by Beyond Blue, commissioned by The Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECCPHN), and funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and NSW Health.
It aims to support people on the Central Coast during the critical three-month period following a suicide attempt when they are at high risk of attempting again.
Coast & Country Primary Care (CCPC) CEO, Michelle Bradbury, said the organisation is proud to deliver the program to people on the Central Coast.
“As a mental health specialist organisation, we are familiar with the impact that attempted suicide has on the individual, their support networks, and the whole community,” Bradbury said.
“We are proud to be able to provide this service in our community.”
People will be referred to the program from local hospitals and will be assigned a Suicide Prevention Support Coordinator to guide them through their recovery.
Coordinators offer people non-clinical care, such as helping build a personalised safety plan and linking them to health and community services and clinical care if needed.
Beyond Blue Chief Services Officer, Alastair Stott, said The Way Back provides critical support for people after they leave hospital.
“The Way Back addresses a significant gap in the current service system and eases people’s distress by guiding them towards the right support and informing them about how to stay safe,” Stott said.
“Coordinators provide people with practical support for improving their situation so they can find their way back to life.”
This comes at the same time as the not-for-profit’s rebrand, due to substantial growth and expansion of its services outside the Central Coast.
Coast & Country Primary Care will now expand throughout NSW, with staff recruitment in Taree, Port Macquarie, and Coffs Harbour underway to provide specialised mental health services to people in those communities.
Source:
Media release, Mar 1
CCPC
Jacinta Counihan