Peak Body for WA Mental Health Consumers Welcomes $361.6 million Funding

Consumers of Mental Health WA (CoMHWA) welcomes the commitment of the WA Government to boost mental health funding in order to support the mental health and wellbeing of people across WA.

CoMHWA is committed to working closely with the WA Government to provide advice on the broad range of consumer perspectives to ensure reforms will meet all of our needs.

Initiatives that the Government has undertaken to fund that will help to address calls from people with personal experience of mental health issues include:

• Supporting the mental health of young people,

• Increasing access to services for people with eating disorders,

• Improving support for people in crisis,

• Growing the peer workforce and

• Increasing access to services in rural regions.

The $361 million funding is a positive step, however reforming the mental health system to meet the diverse needs of people in the 21st century requires an ongoing willingness by the Government to work with the people that the mental health system is there to support.

CEO of Consumers of Mental Health WA (CoMHWA), Shauna Gaebler says “We hope to continue to work with the Minister to create consumer-led, designed and evaluated mental health services in WA so they are sustainable, and fit-for-purpose by and for those who need to access it”.

“People are seeking innovative models of mental health that supports us as a whole – from social connections, support of peers, housing, employment, linkages to services and community-based support”, she said.

“We are committed to working with the WA Government to provide valuable assistance in this area”.

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Consumers of Mental Health WA (CoMHWA) is the peak body by and for people with lived experience of mental health issues in Western Australia. Further information about CoMHWA can be found here: www.comhwa.org.au/about

Media contact:
Shauna Gaebler
CEO, Consumers of Mental Health WA

0422 190 689 | ceo@comhwa.org.au