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Originally Posted by Citroënbender
So - the NSW Government has committed to spending an extra $130M on mental health, apparently in recognition of the dual impacts of lockdown and pandemic.
It sounds good, but - I’m (cynically) curious how this will be directed to benefit people in need; it’s not like there are counsellors and psychologists waiting to hear “Ready, set, go!” - all report being grossly overstretched as it stands. And to entice practitioners here from other states would be a craven act.
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The pledge is a start I suppose. Can't do much without having the $ to back you up.
Signs are there that we will be running some significant skilled migration programmes to lure skilled migrants over, and qualified mental health workers will probably be on the list.
Whilst there will be an increase in mental health needs in some areas, other areas may see a reduction. One of the positives out of lock down was the closure of those pokies den. I wonder how many lives saved from that. Will it kick off again when we open up? Who knows. They say it takes 3 months to kick a habit, hopefully its been long enough for some to do just that.
What would be really good is if some of the money was spent on setting up affordable health retreats. I don't think there are enough here? Have a couple of friends who have been on them overseas, one spent many thousands just to help her stop drinking, she was 30 at the time, and it worked. I can't see why we can't set up similar facilities here.