Medicare Mental Health Centres provide free, walk-in support for people struggling or in mental distress, and ongoing care for more complex mental health needs.
Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, said: “The struggles of day-to-day life are placing increasing pressure on people an demand on our services which is why we are pleased to announce an additional four locations in NSW: Blacktown, here in Western Sydney, Campbelltown in South-West Sydney, Broken Hill and Central Darling in Western NSW.”
In the recent budget, the Federal Government invested an additional $29.9M to boost the clinical capability of the Medicare Mental Health Centre network to provide access to psychologists and psychiatrists on call.
A total of 61 Medicare Mental Health Centres will open across the country, including 22 in New South Wales.
Rose Jackson MLC,Minister for Mental Health, said: "You can walk in the doorof a Medicare Mental Health Centre and connect with a peer worker, connect with a social worker and through the additional funding of the Commonwealth Government, escalate that through to a psychologist or psychiatrist if you need it. You don’t need an appointment. It isn’t just 9-5.”
The addition of a Medicare Mental Health Centre in Blacktown means residents will be ableto access the free service, with no referral needed.
Minister Chris Bowen said: “Many of us call Western Sydney home. We are younger, weare more diverse, and with diversity comes opportunity to help people through their multi-faceted journey through our country. Whether you have been here all your life or whetheryou’ve just arrived here, we all from time to time need a little bit of guidance and assistancethrough the challenges of life.”
The Federal Government is providing a total of $17.1M to open the four new centres, with the State Government contributing an additional $1.1M million towards the Blacktown centre.
Andrew Newton, CEO of WentWest, the Western Sydney Primary Health Network said: “We’re excited to see further investment into mental health services in Western Sydney. The new Medicare Mental Health Centre in Blacktown will enhance local service integration, offering free face-to-face, phone or online support to those who need it.Blacktown LGA has a population of around 400,000 with about 24,000 residents reported to have mental health conditions.
"We welcome the support of both the Federal and State Governments and their recognition of the needs of the Blacktown community.”
Exact locations of theservices will be determined following community consultation and co-design.
The Western Sydney Primary Health Network is currently working on an expression ofi nterest of tender for the Blacktown Medicare Mental Health Centre which is expected to open mid-2025.
