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B RILLIA NT- ON LIN E AUGUS T 2021
MID COAST MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ✦ Mick Easton bringing back ASIST, a Living works Program where people learn to apply a suicide intervention model
M
ick Easton grew up in Port Macquarie, completing Year 12 in Canberra, then eventually joined the Royal Australian Navy aged 22. This move to the armed forces allowed him to experience life at sea, visiting many countries whilst earning an electronics trade at the same time. He then spent 15 years between being based in Sydney and in various technology-based roles overseas but loved the idea of coming home from the ‘rat race’. Coming back to Port Macquarie was not a hard decision to make with family, friends, and the coastal life such a big drawcard. It is something that most Port Macquarie kids do.
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He’s been back for 16 years now, gaining qualifications as a Credentialed Mental Health (Registered) Nurse and working across different roles within mental health services in Port Macquarie. He’s ready to give back and has started a new business “Mid Coast Mental Health Services (MCMHS)” “MCMHS” are specialists and leaders in recovery-focused mental health services and supporting clients through some of their toughest days with complex issues.
Tell us a bit about “Mid Coast Mental Health Services” Mid Coast Mental Health Services was born from the idea that service focus should be on the individual client’s needs, no matter what stage of their journey they are on. This service delivery format gives us the freedom and flexibility to be more
Website bookings and registrations are in the works under:
individualised and client-centric. Our approach is to provide multifaceted mental health nursing services across our local Hastings area, working closely with other health professionals and community organisations to improve accessibility and the quality of clinical services. The model of care employed by MCMHS is to allow people to overcome barriers such as accessibility, cost and quality of services. With 55% of Port Macquarie respondents surveyed (Healthy North Coast) stating it was difficult to access Mental Health services, MCMHS provides local solutions for local needs from low-level support to critical interventions for people experiencing severe and complex mental health challenges. MCMHS service standards are grounded in meeting the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing (ACMHN) ‘credentialing’ process to ensure skills and registration are maintained to a high quality. Through having multiple access points, the MCMHS provides hope for clients to be able to have stepped care integration as they need it, or may not need, throughout the ‘ups and downs’ of finding wellness and fulfilment, managing symptoms and re-establishing themselves in the community. Collaborations across the local networks of mental health services begins with MCMHS providing services across the NCPHN funded ‘Mental Health Nursing Service (MHNS)’, Medicare and NDIS space to headspace and GP practices. We also have a focus on suicide prevention through the facilitation of the LivingWorks program ‘Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)’.
www.midcoastmhs.com
