Before the March election, the government promised $10
million towards the construction of a youth mental health clinical research
facility at Camperdown, in Sydney’s
inner-west.
Premier Morris Iemma promised an extra $6 million to the Royal Price
Alfred Hospital’s
Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI) at Camperdown and for additional
services in both Campbelltown and Redfern\Waterloo.
“The $10 million is for the bricks and mortar, this
($6 million) is for the people,” Mr Iemma told reporters in Campbelltown.
“It’s critical to focus on the early phase of mental
illness to maximise the chance of helping young people back to school, back
into education and training or back into the work force.”
Health Minister Paul Lynch said there weren’t a lot of
votes in mental health and admitted it was an area that had been neglected in
the past.
He said the announcement was aimed at looking after areas
which had been underfunded for decades.
BMRI executive director Profession Ian Hickie said NSW was
leading the country in developing new ways of treating young people suffering
from mental illness.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Mental-health-services-get-a-boost/2007/06/21/1182019250914.html
see also http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21935684-23289,00.html