Twenty pop-up community mental health services will be funded through a $22 million investment by the Victorian Government to deliver fast-tracked and tailored mental health care.
An investment of $13.3 million will deliver 20 pop-up community mental health services, with around 90 dedicated clinicians providing support to Victorians.
The pop-up centres, to be delivered by trusted community health providers such as Mind, cohealth and EACH, will open progressively from the end of September across Melbourne and regional Victoria, with a dedicated triage and referral hotline and website to be established in the coming days so people can start booking appointments.
The package includes dedicated support for specific groups that may be at higher risk of isolation or mental health concerns as a result of the pandemic.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are less likely to engage early with mainstream mental health services will receive $4 million in support for Aboriginal community controlled organisations to self-determine the best, most culturally appropriate response to the mental health and wellbeing needs of their local communities.
An investment of $1 million will expand the Triple P parenting programs, supporting more than 20,000 families whose children are experiencing anxiety, while $1.2 million will boost the capacity of peak LGBT+ community organisations.
A further $1 million will support the mental health workforce to better respond to patients presenting with trauma, and $1.5 million will allow the Royal Children's Hospital, VicHealth and key partners to better support the most vulnerable groups of children and young people.