CANBERRA -
Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd November 2009
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND TREATMENTS IN THE AFTERMATH OF DISASTER IN
RURAL AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES: LESSONS FROM RECENT EVENTS
The improvement of rural health has been
identified as a priority by the National Health and Hospitals Reform
Commission. So how do we get more health professionals into the bush?
Should we be focusing on recruitment or retention? And what role should
nurses and allied health professionals play? This topic was
discussed on ABC Radio National's "Australia Talks" Program hosted by
Paul Barclay, you can hear the program
here
Invitation
The recent incidents of natural disaster in Victoria (bushfires) and
Queensland (floods, cyclones, oil spills) have left a trail of death and
destruction, shattered communities, and displaced people. Such events
severely impact on the Mental Health of individual survivors, and impact
on community functioning.
What lessons
can be learned from our response to these events? How can Mental Health
professionals prepare themselves more effectively to deal with such
events in rural and remote communities? How can the resources of
Government, mental health professionals, emergency services, and private
practitioners be better utilised for optimal benefit?
What long term planning is required to
provide ongoing support, treatment and infrastructure?
Can our response to recent disasters
provide the roadmap to build capacity in rural and remote areas?
Themes:
Community Preparedness & Context
Early Interventions
Medium Term Interventions
Long Term Interventions
Stream Topics:
Emergency Services & Administration
Mental Health Services Delivery
Development of Individual and Community Resilience
I invite you to participate in our symposium and join with me and the
symposium committee in learning from our keynote speakers and their
analyses of our responses to recent disasters and to examine the long
term mental health needs of Rural Australia. With their input and our
interactive symposium program we can be guided in our efforts to be
better prepared in rural and remote communities to meet future needs.
This symposium will explore ways to develop skills related specifically
to the mental health needs of rural and remote communities now and in
the future.
I look forward to seeing
you in Canberra at the first of many nationally relevant Australian
Rural and Remote Mental Health meetings.
Dr Norm Barling Conference Chair
Keynote Speakers Include:
Prof Peg Le Vine,
Professor of Psychosocial Health, Monash Asia Institute
Prof Gavin Andrews, UNSW at St
Vincent's Hospital
Prof Beverley Raphael,
Professor & Head of Psychological
Medicine, Australian National University, Professor of Population Mental Health and
Disasters and Director of the Centre for Disasters and Terrorism (DAT)
at the University of Western Sydney
Dr Helen J. Stain Senior
Lecturer, Clinical Psychologist, Centre for Rural and Remote Mental
Health, University of Newcastle
Professor Don Gorman,
Director, Centre for Rural & Remote Area Health, University of Southern
Queensland, Toowoomba
Dr Keith Miller, BSc (Adel), BTh(Hons),
BSocPlan (Hons), BSW, PhD, Lecturer, Flinders University
Dr. Dennis Pashen,
President, Australian College of
Rural and Remote Medicine
Prof Brett McDermott -
beyondblue
Director
Delegates will include;
The Symposium will consist of keynote presentations and submitted papers
that will be presented in three streams, presenters will be allocated a
stream at time of publication.
 Topics will include, but are not limited to:
Building Capacity
Developing new areas in "pre and postvention" services
Clinical Services Working in Partnership with Non Government
Organisations
Transcultural Rural and Remote Mental Health
Implementing effective clinical treatments: Primary interventions
and treatments promoting recovery
Categories and Causes (Anxiety, Addiction, Depression, Personality
Disorders, Trauma, Stress, Suicide)
Proactive interventions and mental health worker self care.
Recovery Support Programs
Identifying the needs of Emergency Support Personnel, Police and
Volunteers
Commonwealth and State Governments - Policy and Planning
| 
Program available
