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A AL C LO
THE ALPINE
BRIGHT - POREPUNKAH - MT BEAUTY - TAWONGA - TAWONGA SOUTH Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Phone: (03) 5752 1058
www.alpineobserver.com.au
$2.00 (inc.GST)
Page 7
BRIGHT LIONS RENEW
DOWNHILL DYNAMO WINTER Olympian alpine skier Harry Laidlaw was knee deep in powder at Mt Hotham at the weekend after more than 20cm of fresh snow blanketed the resort. Hotham’s snow base is closing in on the magic metre mark with more snow forecast this week. Story page 10 PHOTO: Dylan Robinson
Sport
BRIGHT DAY AMID GLOOM
Mental health appeal
FUNDING for Victorian mental health service NewAccess is ending this August, leaving North East advocates disappointed and prompting calls for the service to continue. According to an email sent to Mount Beauty Neighbourhood Centre manager Trish Dixon from a NewAccess practice lead, the mental health coaching service was to stop taking clients from June 30 to ensure all clients could finish the program before its cessation on August 11, as the funding extension request for the program to the State Government had
who works at the Funding g ceases for p popular p mental health service coach neighbourhood centre, said
BY BRODIE EVERIST beverist@ nemedia.com.au
been refused. “Working to support the bushfire-affected areas in the region, the team has supported more than 290 people in North Eastern Victoria, and seen 62 per cent of participants achieve recovery from their initial reported symptoms,” the email said. “Additionally the team
have also supported postpandemic to the wider state of Victoria, supporting over 1300 people with 64.7 per cent achieving recovery.” New Access is a free guided 6-session self-help program using low-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy developed by mental health not-for-profit Beyond Blue and delivered by service provider Wellways. According to Beyond Blue, it aims to provide affordable therapy for issues such as coping with stress, life changes, natural
disaster recovery and financial worries. Ms Dixon said the program’s end couldn’t come at a worse time, with local residents still feeling the impacts of the Bogong High Plains Road landslide, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2019-2020 bushfires. “We’re still getting over all the tragedies and disasters that have happened,” she said. “There’s still a lot of flood recovery work trying to help with the landslide.” According to Ms Dixon, strong demand remains for the mental health program
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YOU’RE INVITED TO BRIGHT’S
5th BIRTHDAY 17 - 23 July 2023
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BEECHWORTH BAKERY 5 Ireland Street Bright VIC 3741 | Open 6am to 4pm every day
run out of the Mount Beauty Neighbourhood Centre once a week. “They’ve been coming every Tuesday and the day is full,” she said. “And it’s been like that for the last two years.” “If people needed to be referred to other services, then they had the knowledge and the resources to be able to do that.” Ms Dixon said she is hoping to apply for grants that may help the program continue. Nicole Stephens, the program’s mental health
she provided telehealth services to the whole Alpine Shire and confirmed there was nothing to replace the mental health coaching program. She said it was disappointing the program was finishing, and while there are plenty of mental health services in metropolitan areas, remote and rural areas can miss out. Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy is expected hold a press conference today in Mount Beauty calling for the program’s funding to continue.
166 Myrtle Street, Myrtleford
03 5752 2995
Jayson Hall
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