Call to action for Eidsvold

14th September 2010

The North Burnett Regional Council, in coordination with BIEDO, has thrown its support behind the town of Eidsvold to help address the overwhelming issue of suicide and depression facing this small community.

In the last 14 months, there have been an alarming six suicides in the town - a number equal to 60 times the national average. In an effort to tackle the problem, the Council called an urgent meeting of health service providers, state and federal government representatives and other community groups. After three meetings of the Eidsvold Community Focus Group 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.

Mayor Joy Jensen says the list of urgent actions were identified following an extensive audit of health services not just in Eidsvold, but throughout the whole North Burnett.

"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 to help make them happen," she said.

The following is a list of urgently needed services:

1. Paediatrician - currently, there is no access to paediatric services in the North Burnett (in fact there is a shortage of paediatricians across Queensland). Families must travel to Bundaberg or Brisbane, which can be very difficult with young children or if the family has no means of transport. It also means that kids can go through their whole school life without access to early diagnosis or intervention - impacting both their health and education. The North Burnett Regional Council has been investigating options with QHealth to bring a paediatrician to the region and a submission has also been made to MSOAP (the Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program).
2. Counselling - at present, there is one counsellor in the North Burnett who is fully qualified to deal with a crisis situation. There was much concern as funding for this position was due to end in June this year, however the Federal Government has confirmed the counsellor can now continue for another twelve months. While this is an excellent outcome, this part-time counsellor simply cannot cope with the huge level of need in the region. In fact, he works at a ratio of 1:12,000 people - a level which would be unacceptable in the city where the ratio is 1:14. BIEDO will continue to lobby hard to secure a full-time counsellor for the North Burnett
3. Chaplaincy/Pastoral Care - there is no "in school" chaplaincy service in Eidsvold. This service would provide a person for young people and their families to talk to about their problems. BIEDO will be sending out a "challenge" to agencies to match funding raised at the 2009 "Get Your Groove" concert in Eidsvold to help secure a chaplain for Eidsvold State School. While this would fund just the first year, it is hoped the service would be available in the longer term.
4. Child and Youth Services - the audit identified the need for programs for kids which improved their self esteem, confidence and problem solving skills. In conjunction with Eidsvold State School, funding is being sought for personal development programs (intervention camps, workshops such "Shine" for girl and "Strength" for boys), creative programs (self worth scrapbooking, drama groups, book publishing, and lasting contribution projections), leadership programs (leadership camps and entrepreneurship programs, business skills) and community contribution (to identify and aim to solve a problem within their community). Lifeline have also been able to commit a youth worker to Eidsvold for one day each week.
5. Post suicide support - there is no support for families following a suicide. A suicide trauma response group called "Standby" are aiming to establish a task force for the North Burnett. They are hoping to be based in Bundaberg and aim to be in our region soon. They put together a team of people and community groups who can provide support to families following a suicide.
6. Transport - The issue of lack of transport from the North Burnett to major regional centres has been known for some time. However, BIEDO is seeking funding for a new bus for Eidsvold, with the ultimate goal being the availability of one car in each North Burnett community to help transport people to important medical appointments in Bundaberg.
7. Economic opportunity - there must be more focus on the opportunities which are available in Eidsvold for economic development, jobs and business. BIEDO will provide "Business Pilots" to the town to help encourage business and young people. There will also be opportunities identified with the opening of the RM Williams Australian Bush Learning Centre in conjunction with the Federal Governments Indigenous Business Officer based in the Inland Burnett.

Linda Silburn, CEO of BIEDO says that the audit has given the Council and BIEDO a definite focus and goals for the future.

"While we know there's not one simple solution to the issue of suicide and depression in Eidsvold, we're hoping the list of urgent actions identified will help make some positive changes in the community. We're really grateful to everyone who's worked with us through this process. Their time and support has been invaluable," Linda said.

You can access a working copy of the "Social Wellness Services Audit" on this website. It will also be distributed to Council offices and libraries. As the document is quite lengthy it is also currently being broken down to provide "mini" directories in the form of wallet sized cards which can be easily used by the community. These will be available in late September. If you'd like further information on this project, or would like to provide feedback, please call Belinda Bowman at the BIEDO office on 4169 7851.

ENDS...

For more information, please contact Mayor Joy Jensen on 0458 696 272.