The Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) Coordinator is funded by the NSW Ministry of Health and delivered by Grand Pacific Health. The position is funded to provide support to the Illawarra and Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) and South West Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD).
The purpose of the RAMHP Coordinator is to raise awareness of, and help address, the short and long term mental health needs of people in the Illawarra Shoalhaven and SWSLHD (focusing on the Shoalhaven, Southern Highlands, Wollondilly and Camden) resulting from, or preparing for, rural adversity.
The primary aim of the RAMHP Coordinator is to identify communities and individuals who live in rural and remote NSW experiencing or at risk of developing signs and symptoms of mental illness or distress and develop pathways to care so that they, and their families and carers, can be connected with services and programs. The RAMHP Coordinator will provide information about mental illness and services and programs to the whole community and to targeted individuals to facilitate recognition of when an individual may need extra support for their mental health. They will also provide education services to targeted rural agencies and services that have contact with people experiencing adversity and build their capacity to respond and refer to appropriate services. The RAMHP Coordinator does not fulfil a clinical role with any individual or family, if a person is identified as requiring clinical support this will be referred to the appropriate team, or service.
The RAMHP Coordinator will work in partnership with the mental health teams, clinicians and their respective communities to improve mental health referral processes. This will include strategies to improve the mental health literacy and referral/response capacity of people working in rural areas, and promote a system of care that is closely integrated, linking industry and other health sectors.
The RAMHP Coordinator will work with and support the mental health and family and carer teams to ensure that patients, families and carers are provided with the information they need to look after their own mental health.
