In the Australian region, mental well-being can often be forgotten, but residents of the Loddon Mallee region have been taking proactive steps to manage the mental health of their community.
Key points:
- Lifeline will open a call center in Mildura in January
- The Sunraysia Lifeline Project has been advocating for the hub for nine years
- It is expected to answer more than 6,000 local calls per year
Over the past year, Lifeline Central Victoria & Mallee received more than 15,000 calls, up from 11,000 the previous year.
With increased demand for Mallee, the Bendigo-based organization has announced that a new call center will open in Mildura early next year.
Executive director Lisa Renato says the center will recruit and train 30 volunteers, hoping to answer more than 6,000 calls each year.
“We are seeing increased demand for our services from a wide section of the community,” said Ms. Renato.
“More people reach out sooner, which is wonderful because it’s all preventative.”
Local help for a national problem
The arrival of the Lifeline call center in Mildura is the culmination of nine years of campaigning and lobbying by a local community group.
Sunraysia Lifeline Project Director Stephen Hegedus said the center would help build resilience within the community.
“All the training that telephone operators receive rubs off through work and clubs,” he said.
Mr. Hegedus was inspired to form the group after dealing with his own mental health issues in 2000.
“If I had known that Lifeline was around when I had my problem, things might have been different.
“Being able to talk openly about mental health is very important.”
Lifeline has started its call operator hiring process and intends to open the center in January.
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