Probing mental health, support
With the Covid pandemic still affecting many people, the Assisting Communities through Direct Connection (ACDC) Project is going door-to-door with its ‘People Connectors’ to check-in with locals and collect important data to help improve community well-being.
Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA) are working with service provider, Settlement Services International (SSI), to doorknock in Greenacre from June to August.
CEO of CMHA, Bill Gye, says that unfortunately there are many reasons why people do not want to talk about or even think about their mental health.
“People may prefer to tough it out, hide it from others, or avoid the stigma. The ACDC Project – which will also use bilingual People Connectors – is going directly to households to engage them in conversation about these important issues,” he said.
“We must be much more proactive connecting and communicating with people about the importance of wellbeing.
“Prevention and early intervention are far more effective than dealing with people in crisis.”
As well as providing vital information to residents, the project will gather feedback on any service gaps through a survey offered in English, Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Italian.
Melinda Mann, Shared Services Lead for Settlement Services International, says SSI is well placed to run the project in Greenacre and using bilingual people allows households to speak about sensitive matters such as mental health in their preferred language.
“SSI is well connected to these communities and understands the complex challenges some households face, including access to key health services and information,” she said.
Details: acdc.org.au.