Recognising the groundswell of local support for suicide prevention training and education in the Goldfields, WA Primary Health Alliance has facilitated a capacity building program for the region led by national experts, The Black Dog Institute.
Following the re-establishment of the Goldfields Suicide Prevention Network in Kalgoorlie-Boulder at the start of this year; the group has been considering how they can help to coordinate and improve mental health service delivery across the large region.
The Black Dog Institute’s Esther Sole visited Kalgoorlie last month and met with members of the Network, representatives from all levels of government and not-for-profit agencies.
Esther provided information on the Black Dog Institute’s Suicide Prevention Capacity Building Program which is being implemented in all 31 Primary Health Networks (PHNs) across Australia.
The program focuses on building regional capacity to develop appropriate interventions and strengthen the communication, coordination, and visibility of current suicide prevention work through the delivery of six evidence-based workshops.
The program’s goal is to build participants’ skills and knowledge to establish and sustain a local suicide prevention collaborative, to collectively reduce suicide deaths and attempts.
Esther is returning to the Goldfields-Esperance region later this month, to continue meeting key stakeholders and discuss strategies to prevent mental health and psychosocial crisis; and learn how best to implement the Black Dog Institute’s Program in the region.
If you would like more information on Esther’s upcoming visit, or to learn more on the program and how your organisation might be involved, please contact the WA Primary Health Alliance Regional Integration Manager, Sarah Brown on sarah.brown@wapha.org.au