Almost five months since it first opened, Wagga's 'Safe Haven' is seeing promising results among those walking through its doors.
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Launched last September and officially opened on Wednesday by Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor, the Safe Haven on Yathong Street acts as an alternative to the emergency department for those experiencing distress and mental health crisis.
People can drop by the Haven on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2pm to 9pm to speak with mental health professionals in a homely, non-clinical environment.
Peer support worker Emily Dawson said the results so far have been "unreal".
"It's very satisfying to see it being used, and people are coming back as well," she said.
"It's picking up more and more each week."
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Ms Dawson said when people present to the Haven they will be met with assistance tailored to mental health in a safe environment, while also helping take pressure off the emergency department.
"Especially with COVID in place the [workload] that they have at the moment is pretty insane," she said. "[The Safe Haven is] not clinical, they're not going to have doctors assessing them ... they can just chill."
Murrumbidgee Local Health District chief executive Jill Ludford said Safe Haven is an "evidence-based strategy" and that data will continue to be collected to demonstrate outcomes.
She added that anecdotal outcomes have so far been positive, and Minister Taylor agreed. "We know that if we can try different models of care and we can be courageous to do that, then we're going to get better health outcomes," she said.
Ms Dawson said the Haven is doing well in terms of funding and resources, but may need more peer workers if demand keeps increasing.
Please call triple zero in an emergency or, if you need mental health support, contact: Lifeline: 13 11 14; Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800; Murrumbidgee AccessLine: 1800 800 944 or visit mapmyrecovery.org.au.
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