The Australian Psychological Society (APS) welcomes today’s announcement by Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley of expansion of the Hospital Outreach Post-suicidal Engagement (HOPE) initiative to a further six Victorian hospitals.
APS CEO Frances Mirabelli says, “Expansion of the HOPE suicide prevention program will meet the critical need for more services to support both people at risk of suicide and their families.”
“We know that discharge from hospital is a high-risk time for people with suicidal thoughts, and it often falls to families and friends to support them,” says Ms Mirabelli. “This program will assist families to better care for their loved ones.”
The HOPE program provides active follow-up support, one-on-one counselling and outreach family support for up to three months.
The HOPE program will be rolled out at Casey Hospital, Latrobe Regional Hospital, Sunshine Hospital, Ballarat Health Service (including Horsham), Werribee Mercy Hospital and Bendigo Health Service (including Mildura).
Link to Minister for Health media release
For more information, or to arrange an interview call the APS Media team on 03 8662 3358 or 0435 896 444, or email [email protected]. Find the APS Media team on Twitter: @AustPsych
The APS is the largest professional organisation for psychologists in Australia, representing more than 24,000 members. The APS is committed to advancing psychology as a discipline and profession. It spreads the message that psychologists make a difference to people’s lives, through improving psychological knowledge and community wellbeing.