Media awareness and responsiveness, in the form of timely media releases, is one of the 2009-2012 Strategic Goals of the College.

We monitor the media via a range of sources, one of the most important being through members contacting us when they see something important and that they feel we need to respond to as a College. The following Media Releases have been developed in recent months, in response to a range of issues. They were distributed to all relevant media outlets via the Mental Health Council of Australia's media contacts database, to all College members and interested others, and in most instances, resulted in media contact being made with the CEO - for comment about the issues in a newspaper, on radio or providing background information for television attention on the specific issue.

ACMHN Joint Media Release 9 November 2011

Detention centres admit they cannot provide proper mental health care - leading health organisations renew demand for immidate action on mental health standards in immigration detention

A report in today’s Fairfax newspapers that the company paid to provide mental health services in detention centres has admitted “that prolonged detention of asylum seekers has created high demand for psychiatric services which its staff can't meet” is further evidence that the Government must urgently review the standards of mental health care in all immigration detention centres.

Over 30 of Australia’s leading mental health and health organisations have renewed their demand that the Government immediately launch an independent investigation into the standards of mental health care in Australia’s immigration detention centres.

Keep reading...

ACMHN Joint Media Release 1 November 2011

Leading health organisations demand immediate action on mental health standards in immigration detention

Over 30 key health and mental health organisations and mental health advocates are demanding the Government urgently review the standards of mental health care in all immigration detention centres.

This issue is urgent and action needs to be taken now. The mental health of immigration detainees can’t wait until the political debate over the appropriateness of immigration detention has been resolved.

Every person has the right to be treated with dignity and respect, to have decent living conditions, and freedom to communicate with their family, lawyers and friends. The Government must act now to make the changes to the living conditions and freedoms that will improve the mental health and wellbeing of people in detention.

Keep reading...

ACMHN Joint Media Release 24 October 2011

Leading health organisations demand immediate action on mental health standards in immigration detention

Following last night’s alarming look at life inside immigration detention centres on ABC TV’s FourCorners, key health and mental health organisations and mental health advocates are demanding theGovernment urgently review the standards of mental health care in all immigration detention centres.

As Four Corners highlighted, this issue is urgent and action needs to be taken now. The mental health of immigration detainees can’t wait until the political debate over the appropriateness of immigration detention has been resolved.

Every person has the right to be treated with dignity and respect, to have decent living conditions, and freedom to communicate with their family, lawyers and friends. The Government must act now to make the changes to the living conditions and freedoms that will improve the mental health and wellbeing of people in detention.

Keep reading...

ACMHN Media Release 7 October 2011

Partnerships in Wellbeing Awards 2011

The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) and Eli Lilly last night awarded the Women’s Wellbeing Group at St John of God Mental Health Service in Warrnambool the major Partnerships in Wellbeing Award for 2011, worth $6,000.

These unique awards recognise and support innovative programs that assist people living with a mental illness to optimise their lifestyles and improve their quality of life. The awards are designed to support programs that have not attracted significant funding from other sources and are a departure from core business.

The Women’s Wellbeing Group was developed in May 2011 with a goal of promoting social inclusion and encouraging a healthy lifestyle in women who have become socially isolated due to their mental illness. ‘This program has already achieved some significant outcomes for clients and we hope this award will assist them to continue their good work’, ACMHN President Peter Santangelo said.

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ACMHN Media Release 6 October 2011

Committed and dedicated professional wins Mental Health Nurse of the Year 2011

The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) last night named Jon Chesterson from Newcastle as Mental Health Nurse of the Year. The award recognises Jon’s dedication to the rights and needs of people with mental illness.

Jon is an experienced Mental Health Nurse who has shown commitment to professional leadership in several areas, most notably community service. He has also contributed significantly to the development of skilled Mental Health Nurses. He was a founding member of the Mental Health Council of Australia and served as a Board Director for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Australia and Lifeline Hunter until 2006.

Jon believes it is important for Mental Health Nurses to be involved in community programs. ‘If we want to help people fully recover from a mental illness, we need to have an understanding of how it is they’re living in the community and how this can be improved. You can’t do that from inside a hospital’, said Jon.

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ACMHN Media Release 5 October 2011

Swimming between the flags? International Conference highlights the changing roles of Mental Health Nurses

Mental health nurses are increasingly expanding their knowledge and skills and extending their scope of practice to provide much needed mental health care to the community. Mental health nurses work with people across the life span and across all service settings.

Nurses form the largest part of the health care workforce and mental health problems affect 1 in 4 Australians. ‘All nurses need to be prepared to meet the challenges of the increasing burden of mental illness,’ ACMHN CEO Kim Ryan said.

The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses is hosting the 37th International Conference at the Gold Coast Marriott Resort and Spa from Tuesday 4 October to Friday 7 October 2011. ‘This conference is not just for specialist mental health nurses, but for all nurses and midwives interested in mental health care,’ said Ms Ryan.

Keep reading...

ACMHN Joint Media Release 5 October 2011

Government must investigate the standard of mental health care in detention centres

Leading health and mental health organisations and mental health advocates are today calling on the Minister for immigration, Chris Bowen, and the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, to urgently review the standards of mental health care in all immigration detention centres used by the Commonwealth Government.

The call follows last week’s report from the Australian Human Rights Commission, which raises serious questions about the mental health impacts of indefinite detention on people being held at the Curtin Immigration Detention Centre.

There are genuine concerns that the Government is not providing adequate mental health care to people in detention centres at a time when incidents of self-harm and suicide have increased, and riots, protests, and hunger strikes have become common. 

Keep reading...

ACMHN Joint Media Release 29 August 2011

Detention centres failing to meet minimum standards of mental health care, experts say

Health professionals such as psychologists and mental health nurses are under intolerable pressure trying to provide adequate care within the detention system, according to their professional bodies.

Representatives of the Australian Psychological Society and the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses, together with the Department of Immigration’s Detention Health Advisory Group (DeHAG), have expressed concern that conditions and restrictions in the detention system are making it impossible for health professionals to meet the basic standards for mental health care mandated by the Australian Government, as well as those required within their professions.

Keep reading...

ACMHN Media Release 18 August 2011

Detention Centre sacking outrageous

The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses is outraged that a mental health nurse has been sacked by International Health and Medical Service after expressing her opinion on mandatory detention and mental health.

Adjunct Associate Professor Kim Ryan, CEO of the College said "It is shameful to think that in this day and age a professional has been sacked after expressing an opinion on public policy which directly affects the environment they work in."

Mental health nurses provide services to people in many difficult and unfortunate circumstances. Whether they work in a detention centre, a hospital or in the community, a Mental Health Nurse has to look at their clients‟ circumstances and consider how they impact on their mental health.

"Because a person makes a comment does not mean they are not able provide professional care" said Adjunct Associate Professor Ryan.

Keep reading...

ACMHN Joint Media Release 18 August 2011

Mental health costs of detention are too high, experts say.

Psychologists, mental health nurses, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals have called on the Government to abandon the indefinite detention of asylum seekers, in light of comments on the policy from a leading civil servant in the Immigration Department and revelations of an explosion in self-harm and starvation among detainees.

Andrew Metcalfe, the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, this week urged a rethink on mandatory detention as part of an opening address to a Senate Inquiry into the practice, questioning the effectiveness of the policy. Documents submitted to the Inquiry by the Department show that 213 detainees were treated for self-inflicted injuries and 700 for ‘voluntary starvation’ in the first six months of this year, as part of a system that now costs $772 million a year to maintain.

Representatives of the Department of Immigration’s Detention Health Advisory Group, the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses and the Australian Psychological Society said that the figures reflected concerns they had long raised on the negative impact of detention on the mental health of detainees and a growing body of evidence proving the harms caused by the policy. They said the Government failed to meet its own stated standards on mental health.

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ACMHN Media Release 26 May 2011

Mental health nurses the solution to improve services for people with complex mental illness

Mental Health Nurses are the solution to providing services and improving outcomes for people with ongoing and complex mental illness.

In the Budget, the Government announced $344 million for new services for people with severe mental illness.  But it has overlooked an already established program – the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP).

Since 2007, Mental Health Nurses have been collaborating with GPs and Psychiatrists to deliver much needed mental health services through the Medicare funded MHNIP.  As a result, over 64,000 Australians have benefited from mental health care such as assessment, physical health monitoring, counselling and recovery support.

“The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program is an innovative and successful model of delivering primary mental health care,” said Kim Ryan, CEO ACMHN.

 Keep reading...

ACMHN Budget Analysis 13 May 2011

For more analysis of the mental health package announced in the Federal Budget, click here.

ACMHN Media Release 11 May 2011

Mental Health Nurses applaud well-balanced investment in mental health

The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses applauds the Gillard Government for delivering on its second term priority, with a well-balanced investment in mental health announced in last night’s Budget. The Government has also recognised that mental health reform requires commitment by State and Territories to improve specialist mental health services.

“The College welcomes the fact that the $2.2 billion dollars to be delivered over the next 5 years is focussed on areas of greatest need, across the range of services that people who experience mental health issues require” said Kim Ryan, CEO of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. “It is a well balanced plan, providing funding to early intervention and primary care services, as well as to community programs and services that provide treatment options for people with complex and longer-term mental health issues.”

“We are pleased the Government has learnt from the success of the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program and is dedicating $571.3 million towards a package of measures for people with severe mental health problems. These people and their families have missed out for too long. They have a right to receive coordinated, holistic treatment from specialist mental health clinicians and we know this approach is effective at keeping people well and out of hospital.”

“Funding services to deliver care to people in the early stages of illness, or who are at risk of developing mental health conditions is also vital. Treatment targeted where it is needed, as soon as it is needed, improves outcome and long term wellbeing for the individual and their family. This approach will also reduce the pressure on emergency departments and acute specialist mental health services, freeing those services up to focus on the most unwell,” said
Ms Ryan.

Media contact: Kim Ryan, CEO Phone: 0417 289 189

ANF/ACMHN Media Release 11 May 2011

The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) and the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) have welcomed the Gillard Government's $1.5 billion boost to Australia's mental health services.

"After years of neglect, this is a significant commitment that recognises that mental health is a priority for the community," ANF (Acting) Federal Secretary, Yvonne Chaperon, said today.

"We believe the raft of new initiatives announced in the Budget will provide much-needed social and clinical support to people experiencing mental health issues across the country, especially the measures focused on mental health problems in children."

Ms Chaperon said the announcement of $32 million for the establishment of a Mental Health Commission will, for the first time, bring a "whole of Government approach to addressing mental health", providing greater accountability and transparency to the sector.

But while they backed the majority of the mental health reform package, the ANF and the ACMHN called on the Government to enter into urgent discussions with the sector's key stakeholders to identify ways to develop the workforce needed to deliver the announced new services and programs.

"The Government needs an integrated strategy to ensure the workforce is equipped and supported to deliver on the Budget's significant investment in mental health," Kim Ryan CEO of ACMHN said.

"It is crucial to identify where additional health professionals and other mental health workers will come from, and to up-skill the current workforce to deliver the new services.

"Attracting and retaining nurses and other health professionals in the disadvantaged areas being targeted by this investment will be a challenge and we look forward to working with the Government on these workforce issues."

The ANF, with over 200,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing in Australia. Media Contact: The Premier Communications Group (02) 9247 3337

The ACMHN is the professional body representing mental health nurses in Australia www.acmhn.org 

Media Contact: Kim Ryan, ACMHN Chief Executive Officer, 0417 289 189

ACMHN Media Release 17 March 2011

Mental Health Care dependent on diagnosis:

The recently released Better Access evaluation highlights the difference a diagnosis can make as people with less common mental illnesses struggle to access mental health services.

Over two million people with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety have received mental health treatment through Better Access. But there is no ‘Better Access’ for people with bipolar mood disorders, personality disorders eating disorders, schizophrenia and other less common mental illnesses.

“The unfortunate side effect of Better Access and other Government investment has been to entrench the stigma associated with these less common mental illnesses”, claimed Ms Kim Ryan, CEO of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses.

“People with these illnesses need appropriate ongoing treatment but many can’t access that treatment and fall through the gaps between specialist mental health services and private mental health care”, said Ms Ryan.

The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program is an alternative program that is meeting the needs of people with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. The Government has committed $80 million to this program, compared with the $1.45 billion spent on mental health treatment for depression and anxiety through Better Access.

“Through the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program people receive ongoing treatment and care coordination. As a result, people with these less common but disabling mental illnesses are able to lead full and productive lives.

Increased investment in this program is needed so that people with illnesses such as schizophrenia, eating disorders and bipolar mood disorders have the same access to care as people with depression and anxiety” said Ms Ryan.

Facts about mental illness:

• About 3% of Australians are affected by illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
• Approximately 2% of Australians will experience some type of eating disorder in their life, with 90% of people affected being women.
• Approximately 6% of the adult population will meet the criteria for a personality disorder over their lifetime.

Media contact: Kim Ryan, CEO 0417 289 189

ACMHN Media Links

6 October 2011: Kim Ryan comments ABC News: Nurses talk mental heath services

31 August 2010: Mental Health Connect: Nurses speak out about mental health

30 August 2010 Kim Ryan on ABC News Hobart 30 August 2010: Nurses call for mental health focus

30 August 2010 Kim Ryan ABC Radio with Joel Rheinberger

24 June 2010: University News: A catalyst for action

1 June 2010 Australian Nursing Journal: Mental health: everyone's business

24 May 2010 AGPN Primary Mental Health Care Conference Melbourne

May 2010 APNA Conference: What do they do? the role of MHNs in general practice.

19 April 2010 Crikey.com Remember us, we're called nurses!

1 March 2010 Witness to Senate Committee Hearing on Suicide

16 Feb 2010 Kim Ryan ABC News Nurses call for improved eating disorder treatment

12 Feb 2010 NCAH Newsletter: Mental health nursing remains a vexing issue

11 Dec 2009 Australian Federal Police e-Bulletin

6 July 2009 NSWNA News Ambassadors for Mental Health Nursing Appointed

ACMHN MEDIA RELEASE ARCHIVE

2011

Joint Media Release: Leading health organisations demand immediate action on mental health standards in immigration detention

Media Release: Partnerships in Wellbeing Awards 2011, 7 October 2011

Media Release: Committed and dedicated professional wins Mental Health Nurse of the Year 2011, 6 October 2011

Media Release: International Conference highlights the changing roles of Mental Health Nurses, 5 October 2011

Joint Media Release: Government must investigate the standard of mental health care in detention centres, 5 October 2011

Joint Media Release: Detention centres failing to meet minimum standards of mental health care, experts say, 29 August 2011

Media Release: Detention Centre sacking outrageous, 18 August 2011 

Media Release: Mental health costs of detention are too high, experts say, 18 August 2011

Media Release: Mental health nurses the solution to improve services for people with complex mental illness, 26 May 2011

Media Release: Mental Health Nurses applaud well-balanced investment in mental health, 11 May 2011

Media Release: Mental Health Care Dependent on Diagnosis, 17 March 2011

2010

Media Release: Urgent action needed to treat depression in cancer patients, 25 October 2010

Media Release and Survey Summary: Building mental health workforce vital to accessing care, 10 October 2010

Media Release: Minister for Mental Health a promising start, 13 September 2010

Media Release: Deborah Nelson Mental Health Nurse of the Year 2010,  31 August 2010

Media Release: Standards ensure quality care for people with mental health issues, 30 August 2010

Media Release: Mental Health Nurses – rowing with a team or paddling alone?, 30 August 2010

Media Release: Mental Health Nurses frustrated with mental health system. 10 August 2010

ACMHN 2010 Election Statement, 10 August 2010

Media Release: Gillard appointed as Prime Minister, 24 June 2010

Media Release: Letter to the Prime Minister, 29 April 2010

Media Release: Mental Health Nurses: The Front Line of Mental Health Reform, 21 April 2010

Please direct all enquires regarding Media Releases to Communications Officer This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it