In a municipality such as Greater Bendigo with almost 60 coronavirus cases to deal with, the growing mental health implications from this ongoing emergency will be our shared challenge for a long time yet.
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Central Victorians struggling under the weight of these experiences still need to seek help, as much as those anywhere in Victoria.
The Victorian government's weekend announcement of $59.7 million in new mental health funding needs to be seen as something to help regional areas, not just those in Melbourne.
Part of Sunday's announcement was for additional clinical capacity to be added to existing sites, although it is not clear how big the slice of the funding will be for regional communities.
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The government says it hopes to ''strengthen the surge capacity of clinical and community mental health services across Victoria to cope with additional presentations and reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments - ensuring Victorians can get the care they need, even as demand for services spikes''.
Recognition and acknowledgement of the need to better fund mental health services across the state is a welcome step in the right direction, and as the pandemic continues to exact a toll on regional communities, more assistance will be needed, from both the state and federal governments.
Let's hope it is a substantial slice and that it can help make a difference.
More COVID-19 coverage:
- COVID-19 in Victoria: Your questions answered
- What are the COVID-19 restrictions in regional Victoria?
- Holy Rosary Primary School student tests positive to COVID-19
- Weeroona College Bendigo reopens after reported coronavirus case
- Victorian MPs to spend two weeks in quarantine ahead of Parliament
- New COVID-19 cases for Greater Bendigo, several more linked to Hazeldene's
- Police catch men breaching COVID-19 rules watching footy
The coronavirus and its devastating impacts do not discriminate between city and country, or one postcode over another, and areas with few or no reported cases of COVID-19 have not been spared the fallout.
The City of Greater Bendigo continues to wrestle with the serious health challenges and threats posed by rising cases of the deadly coronavirus, with 57 active cases and 71 overall, while elsewhere in central Victoria, there are 47 cases in Macedon Ranges, whilst Mt Alexander Shire has three active cases, with others in Campaspe, Gannawarra, Central Goldfields and Loddon shires.
In the meantime, the more conversations we have about mental health, and the more support we offer to one another, then the better we will all be.
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