North Burnett Action Group
A major outcome of the North Burnett Action Group is the compilation of an extensive 'North Burnett Social Wellness Audit'. Once the audit was completed, BIEDO and the North Burnett Regional Council (NBRC) identified major gaps which were having a huge impact on the physical and mental health of people throughout the North Burnett. These gaps are identified in the 'Priority Actions for Rural Suicide Prevention' document and are the major focus for immediate action for both BIEDO and the NBRC.
What is the North Burnett Action Group? (formerly the Eidsvold Community Focus Group)
The Eidsvold Community Focus Group has a new name... the North Burnett Action Group. Why? While we acknowledge Eidsvold was the catalyst for urgent action to address the issue of suicide and depression, we also recognise that Eidsvold is not the only town tackling these challenging problems. Social mental health problems, such as stress, depression and suicide are issues faced throughout the North Burnett and are also widely shared around rural Queensland. So we've renamed our group to better reflect the scope of this project. And while we're starting with pilot projects which focus on Eidsvold, we hope to expand implementation throughout the North Burnett.
The catalyst for action...
In the last 14 months, there have been an alarming six suicides in Eidsvold - a number equal to 60 times the national average. In an effort to tackle the problem, the North Burnett Regional Council called an urgent meeting of health service providers, state and federal government representatives and other community groups. After four meetings and several months of behind the scenes research, a key list of actions has been developed to help provide hope for the people of Eidsvold.
A major outcome of the initial round of Eidsvold Community Focus Group meetings was the instigation of an "Audit" to identify health services not just in Eidsvold, but throughout the whole North Burnett. Mayor of the North Burnett, Joy Jensen, says the Audit was the best way to provide a thorough list of what help is available when people face a crisis.
"One of our biggest questions was in regards to who is providing services in our region. We wanted to identify what services are available, who offers them and when. The audit was conducted by BIEDO, the Burnett Inland Economic Development Organisation, and they spent hundreds of hours interviewing health agencies and GP's. This was on top of two other audits conducted by BIEDO over the past two years which also targeted aged care services, childcare facilities, businesses, cultural and sporting groups. This has resulted in an extensive "Social Wellness Services Audit" which will be made available to the community," Mayor Jensen said.
"Once the audit was completed, BIEDO and the Council were able to identify some major gaps which we believe are having a huge impact on the physical and mental health of people in Eidsvold and indeed throughout the North Burnett. These gaps have become our major focus for immediate action and we'll be working with BIEDO and other agencies to help make them happen," she said.
The actions identified in the Priority Actions for Rural Suicide Prevention document will help achieve the North Burnett Action Group's key goals of:
- Helping people manage suicide and depression
- Creating communities where depression and suicide are less likely to occur
Key Partners
Key stakeholders in this project are the North Burnett Regional Council, BIEDO, Lifeline, Eidsvold State School, Centacare South Burnett, QHealth, Wide Bay Mental Health and various federal and state government departments. If you'd like further information, or would like to provide feedback, please call BIEDO on 4169 7851. Also see our North Burnett Action Group Newsletters for more information.
