A new fifteen million dollar Veterans’ Mental Health Precinct
will be built on the Glenside Campus.
This will incorporate an in-patient unit, specialist services for post-traumatic
stress disorder, rehabilitation and research spaces.
The Veterans’ Mental Health Precinct offers us an opportunity
to both look after those who have previously served, as well as those
who are currently serving, and those who will continue to serve fifty years forward from
now.
>> LAURIE: As a Vietnam Veteran, I think the facility at
the Repat has seen it’s day.
What we’re going to get at Glenside is a very very flexible and modern
facility.
It also provides a base for development in the future.
An oversight committee and five working groups have been established to support the development
of the Veterans’ Mental Health Service Precinct.
The Building Design group has been setup in a way to
gain an active participation from veterans, consumers,
the clinical staff team and wider stakeholders.
The Building Design group then has looked around the patient pathway.
We’ve had a real, clear, focus on being patient and
person centred in our care, and the model of care will reflect that.
So the new areas that we’ve not had have been
the all individualised bedrooms.
We’ve actually looked at enhancing the observation points,
which means that the nursing station in the clinical area
is central to the service.
My role is to make sure that the needs of women
are being addressed.
And to make sure that women who go into this new facility feel secure.
My understanding of the new facility is it’s going to
cater for my generation of veterans.
I’m chair of the Model of Care group, which consists of representatives from veterans,
clinicians, and people who’ve got a broad ex-service
organisation interest in the welfare of veterans and their families.
The role of veterans in this whole process are to bring
the whole experience of their illness, but also experience
of what works best for them individually and as families in treatment.
I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
And soldiers coming home now are facing different problems than
what they were facing back twenty, thirty years ago.
We can build something fresh, and future-proof for these
veterans coming home now.
Research will be integral to this program.
It will be very strongly focussed on treatment, but in addition to that,
looking at family issues, well-being, prevention and early intervention.
A broad focus on research which will really make this
precinct absolutely world-class.
Our role on the Memorialisation working group is to
make sure that the Mental Health Facility is memorialised in a way
that enables us to retain those links that we’ve had
with Daw Park for so long.
So it’s very important that we look forward as much as we look backwards.
The Partnerships working group is focussing on creating
a collaborative environment for all of the ex-service
organisations in South Australia.
The partnerships will support the clinical care that’s being
provided at Glenside, through a whole variety of ways.
One of those ways will be social activity, one will be physical activity,
one will be providing information and linking to services
that support them and their families.
I think partnerships are important because the veterans and the community need to see
that we’re all working collectively for the best possible outcome for Veterans’
health.
Of those that I’ve spoken to, I think the opportunity to create a
Veterans’ Health Precinct that covers all of their needs,
and allows for their family and their friends to be a part of that rehabilitation,
I think they see that as an exciting opportunity.
From the contemporary veterans that I speak to,
they are all excited about the opportunity to have a facility
where they know they can go and they will receive first-class treatment
that is well-researched and has their well-being in mind.
Having been through the existing system, I think this will be a great improvement for
veterans such as myself.
It will bring a more positive feel for the veteran going into this facility.
And that’s what they’re after: a new, fresh, type of start.