(Joe Mastroianni) 208941_01
MAY 27, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
CHEF JAMES SADLER
Long time between drinks
The Park Werribee owner Nick Christou is looking forward to pulling a beer for the irst time in more than two months. From next Tuesday, The Park Weribee will be among pubs, restaurants and cafes across Wyndham to open after the state government began easing COVID-19 restrictions. But while happy to have customers back through the door, Mr Christou said strict social distancing restrictions would mean his business, and many others, would not make a proit. Under the relaxed restrictions, venues will be able to seat up to 20 patrons per eligible space. Tables must be at least 1.5 metres apart from one another. Alcohol can be served with meals only. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday said the number of patrons could be lifted to 50 by June 22. But Mr Christou said even allowing 50 patrons might not be enough to cover operating costs. “We understand why the government put the restrictions in, but we need to get back to normal,” he said. During the coronavirus lockdown, Mr Christou was forced to stand down 30 of his staff, but had been able to keep some on with support from the JobKeeper allowance. The Park Werribee has been offering takeaway meals and home delivery. Mr Christou thanked customers for their “fantastic support”. Alesha Capone
Help line at breaking point By Alesha Capone he Werribee Hospital Foundation has launched an appeal to raise urgently-needed funds to upgrade the hospital’s ageing mental health crisis line, which is “stretched beyond capacity”. In an open letter to the community, WHF’s chief executive Leanne Down said the line received upwards of 25,000 calls each year, linking callers to police, community workers and health professionals. “It’s a big job on any day, but the service is
now struggling to cope with unprecedented, fast-escalating demand.” he foundation is hoping to raise $30,000 “to fund immediate upgrades to our 24-hour crisis line and make sure that every call gets answered”. “We need to be able to guarantee that every call gets answered and urgent callers get the immediate response they need,” the letter states. “We need advanced functionality to manage and allocate calls eiciently across the hospital and regional service network, and to
enable virtual ‘face-to-face’ assessments with our expert team.” According to the letter, on WHF’s website, the phone system that the crisis line relies on is more than 15 years old. At peak times, overlow calls are directed to a single answering machine. “Werribee Mercy’s crisis line is already stretched beyond capacity – when we know the worst is yet to come,” Ms Down’s letter states. A Mercy Health spokesperson said the service provided adult mental health services
across the south-west Melbourne area, one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. “he demand for mental health services in this region is growing in line with the population. “Mercy Mental Health welcomes the Werribee Hospital Foundation’s eforts to support us to improve the service’s existing technology so we can better serve our clients.” Donations can be made at https://hub. benojo.com/campaigns/24-hour-mentalhealth-crisis-line.
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