News and Events

This week during Homelessness Week, Neami is one of the many organisations bringing attention to the experiences of people sleeping rough, the issues and complexities of homelessness and the action needed to work towards solutions.

Thanks to funding made available from the Western Australian State Government, Neami National will operate a 6 bed Step Up Step Down service in Albany, the first of its kind in regional WA.

Neami’s Macarthur Accommodation and Access Program (MAAP) was recently featured in the Camden Advertiser. A MAAP consumer shared his experience of sleeping rough and of how Neami helped him secure housing.

Neami National’s Street to Home service is a major partner in the Don Dunstan Foundation’s Adelaide Zero Project which aims to reduce homelessness to zero in Adelaide by 2020.

Drew has been a consumer of the Neami Joondalup Mental Health Step Up Step Down service

Wednesday the 11th of April saw two events celebrating the official opening of Neami’s new alternative to admission service, Nundah House.

On Friday the 16th of March, the South Australian State Governor His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC visited Neami’s homelessness service Street to Home.

The back garden at our Noble Park Youth Residential Rehabilitation (YRR) recently received a revamp, with staff, resident young people and the local Bunnings all chipping in.

An ABC Radio article about the archiving of 150,000 historical documents has highlighted the history of mental illness in Victoria's institutions from 1853 to 1940.

Neami National and Metro North Brisbane Mental Health Service (MNMH) have commenced a partnership to deliver Nundah House, a new alternative to admission service in Nundah, north of Brisbane.

Neami is very pleased to announce the launch of our first Diversity & Inclusion Framework.

Neami and our fully owned subsidiary Me Well are committed to cultivating inclusive environments for staff, consumers and carers - that recognise, respond to and celebrate diversity.

Sunday 14th January saw thousands of people gather in Melbourne's Alexandra Gardens to celebrate Midsumma Carnival – the annual event that kick starts the Midsumma Festival.

Neami National was one of the only mainstream mental health organisations represented at last week’s Better Together Conference in Melbourne. 

All Neami services, including Head Office, will be closed during the public holidays of Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Limited services will be available from 27th through to 29th of December.

The team at the Cairns Community Care Unit (CCU) have been supporting consumers to manage their tobacco use with Neami's 'Kick the Habit' resources. 

Last week, professionals from the mental health sector, members of the community, carers and people with lived experience converged on Perth for the 7th annual Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Conference.

Neami, with funding from the Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, (EMPHN) recently launched a new program providing low-intensity mental health support for people living in Northern and Eastern Metropolitan Melbourne.

In 2016, Neami National in South Australia, together with Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) launched a program to address physical health issues in consumers.

Neami’s Noble Park Youth Residential Rehabilitation (YRR) service has welcomed four new residents – Roast, Nugget, Penny and Gary. The four ex-battery hens have settled into the pecking order and are living comfortably in their new purpose-built hutch.

In South Australia, Neami is the lead agency in a consortium offering clinical support and psychological services for people across a broad spectrum of needs.

The Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (EMPHN) recently announced $2.5 million dollars’ funding to support young people aged from 12-25 who have or at risk of developing severe mental health issues. As part of this funding increase, Neami will deliver a program named “Flexible Intensive Mental Health Support for Young People”, known as YFlex. 

Neami in South Australia runs a series of art groups that support consumers to create art in a variety of mediums. Cecelia participates the Murray Bridge Comet Arts program. 

Neami has recently begun a series of new Optimal Health Program groups in North Brisbane aimed at supporting LGBTIQ, CALD, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and corrections communities.  

With all the activity happening around the country, I welcome you to this edition of Clear Thinking as a chance to catch up with the latest news at Neami.

Our annual staff engagement survey has shown a wide-ranging increase in positive sentiment in working at Neami across our services. 

​In Australia, from 2011 to 2015, an average of 2, 687 people died from suicide each year, which is nearly 8 people per day. The suicide rate amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is more than double the national rate.  Neami has launched two new initiatives in this area.

On Friday, Neami CEO Arthur Papakotsias and our Research and Evaluation Consumer Co-Chair Dave Peters presented at the public hearing of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for the provision of services under the NDIS for people with psychosocial disabilities related to a mental health condition.

The graduation ceremony recognised the achievements of WorkWell participants from five Neami services who have gained employment, volunteer work or enrolled in study and training courses. Jobs gained varied from Landscape Gardener, to Teacher, to Packer.

In partnership with Orygen National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Neami is undertaking an exciting research project to identify what's important to young people and other key stakeholders who have a direct interest in the operation of the Youth Residential Services.

Following a full due diligence process June O'Connor Centre and Neami National have decided to proceed with a merger and it has been agreed that JOC will become a part of Neami. Continuity of care to JOC clients will be maintained with current support staff.

Last year service delivery sites across Victoria and New South Wales engaged in an exciting, innovative and empowering co-production project. Staff and consumers at some outreach service sites came together with equal representation to develop a 12-month Consumer Participation Site Plan. 

Neami is undertaking an exciting transformational project, the Great Consumer Experience, to align our quality system to achieve great consumer experiences for every consumer every time. 

As another year draws to a close, it's a good moment to reflect on the year that was and acknowledge those who supported and worked collaboratively with Neami National to achieve full citizenship for people with mental illness.

In this edition of Clear Thinking, you'll find articles including an announcement about Neami's NDIS service provisions, an evaluation of Neami's Prevention and Recovery Care services, and the expansion of our Peer Health Coaching program. 

The June O’Connor Centre Inc. (JOC) and Neami National (Neami) would like to announce a shared agreement to explore a merger between both organisations. 

Neami is a major partner in an exciting research project run by Monash University and University of Melbourne Australian Research Council. The joint interdisciplinary project investigated and supported the rights, agency and self-determination of people in the mental health system.

Neami staff from around the country came together in Melbourne at the Neami National Leadership Conference (NLC) from 16th – 18th November. The NLC provided an opportunity to learn from each other and industry leading keynote speakers, and to continue to equip Neami leaders to respond to changes in the mental health landscape. 

VICSERV recently held an NDIS Forum titled ‘Mental Health in the NDIS World’, on October 26th. The forum brought together key stakeholders from national, state and local levels to discuss issues and developments relevant to mental health providers, consumers and carers in Victoria during the current roll-out of the NDIS.

During Mental Health Week (October 9 – 15, 2016), Neami National will focus on creating awareness about the important relationship between mental health and physical health, and highlight services available to support mental and physical wellbeing.  

TheMHS Conference was held in 'Te Pou o Te Whakaaro Nui' in Auckland, New Zealand, on August 23-26. Several Neami staff  delivered presentations and were able to share in the experience. 

Congratulations to our MHCSS intake service on two years of providing easier access to Victorian community mental health services.

Neami Way2Home was recently part of the City of Sydney street count which recorded 394 people sleeping rough across the City’s local area. 

Our Victorian Intake Assessment Service (MHCSS) and Wadamba Wilam (Renew Shelter) teams were delighted to be part of this video about mental health services in VIC

We are looking forward to working with The University of Melbourne on a new project, ‘Building the Evidence Base for Prevention and Recovery Care Services’. This project is the result of a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Projects grant.

'Float With It' is an exhibition of artworks by South Australians who attend the Neami 'Comet', 'Digits' and 'Drawn Together' art groups.

​In January 2016, Neami Way2Home supported the 300th person from sleeping rough into permanent housing.

Pen to Power- Map Your Mind to Recovery is a new interactive exhibit supported by Neami Dubbo which documents the journey to better health.

On Wednesday 2 December, Neami provided a tour of our services to 11 Kwai Chung Hospital staff, including their CEO.

Neami National, with cohealth and North Western Mental Health are conducting a project to evaluate the effectiveness of the Northern and Arion Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) services in Victoria.

Neami Broken Hill has helped dozens of people avoid hospital and transition back into the community.

Neami National has launched its latest service, the Cairns Community Recovery Program (CCU) in Far-North Queensland. This service is a partnership with the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.

As the weather warms, it is important for consumers and staff to be vigilant of managing their physical health. The risk of heat illness and skin trauma (sunburn) increases significantly during the summer months.

Celebrate World Mental Health Day in Adelaide SA at the Festival of Now

Local mental health services across the Hunter have united to create a series of family film screenings throughout October to celebrate Mental Health Month. 

As the Peer Health Coaching (PHC) comes to the end of the pilot period, we celebrate the achievements of the project for consumers wishing to work on a specific physical health goals.

SANE Australia and Neami National are proud to announce that the Peer Health Coaching Program has won the Mental Health Services Conference 2015 award in the Physical Health and/or Primary Care category. The award will be presented in Canberra today during opening proceedings of the annual conference.

The latest Clear Thinking from Neami covers the end of an era for Splash, an innovative new service in Cairns, changes in SA, TheMHS 2015 and supporting health conversations

Staff at Neami Dubbo have undergone Seasons for Healing training at the Dubbo Loss and Grief (LAG) centre. The training focused on learning to help people overcome trans-generational grief.

Ahead of the COAG Leaders Retreat, Neami along with 90 others from the mental health sector and beyond have written to the Prime Minister and First Ministers calling for urgent action on reforms COAG agreed to in 2012.

SANE Australia and Neami National are working together to develop the Peer Health Coach programme which recruits and trains Peer Health Coaches in community based support programs around Australia.

Painting has opened up a new world for Malcolm Derwas – and given his something to strive for. Mr Derwas is one of the longest-attending South Australian participants in Neami's weekly art groups.

Congratulations to Adam Burns for his Melbourne Health 2015 Excellence in Nursing Award

Seclusion, restraint and restrictive practices in mental health is gaining attention after the National Mental Health Commission recently formalised its position paper on this human rights issue.

After nineteen years of nurturing the arts practices of people with an experience of mental illness, Splash is closing at the end of June 2015.

To mark this event, Splash is doing what it does so well – hosting a spectacular group exhibition!

More funding needed in Far West NSW to support transitions from residential services back into the community

The Southern Times Messenger reports on new Neami Crisis Respite services in South Australia that will be available from mid-year.

Artist, actor, and creative, Malcolm Berry has a new exhibition showing at the Collingwood Gallery.

Malcolm will be donating a portion of the proceeds of his Relics exhibition to a number of Mental health organisations including The Mental Illness Fellowship, MAPrc, (Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre), and Neami – services that he sees as “outstanding organisations supporting people who live with mental illness”.

We are looking at how Neami peer worker roles will look in various new settings and how to best support peer workers.

Mental Health Australia had joined with Neami and 70 other mental health services to release an open letter to the Prime Minister asking the Federal Government to provide certainty to federally funded mental health services beyond 30 June 2015.

Reforms and re-tenders; New service opens in NSW; Results of CRM study; Marching with pride

A collaboration between Neami Dubbo and Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol for Dubbo and Region grabbed the attention of the Dubbo Weekender in early February. 

​Neami has seen some notable media mentions recently with Neami's participation in the WA and Victorian Pride Marches being noticed by a number of media outlets. A brief mention in the Star Observer has highlighted Neami National and Neami Western Australia as 'LGBTI Champions'.

For the first time, staff and consumers from Western Australia participated in Perth's annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) culture and community, known as PrideFest.

In preparation for the summer months we have new resources providing tips on how to prepare, protect and prevent illness caused by extreme heat.

You are warmly invites you to the opening celebration of the Splash Art Studio 17th Annual Summer exhibition on Wednesday 3rd December from 4pm - 6pm.

Homelessness effects over 105,237 people across Australia, with over 490 people experiencing primary homelessness in Sydney alone – sleeping on the streets or in their cars. In the Sutherland Shire, South Eastern Sydney’s Partners in Recovery Program (or PIR) has been working to support a coordinated approach to ending homelessness.

Neami National CEO Arthur Papakotsias has announced that Neami’s Splash Art Studio will close as of 30 June 2015 due to funding changes in the Victorian mental health sector.

The Victorian Government is changing the way people get support for their mental health from August 2014.

As one of Australia’s largest mental health services, Neami National has added its voice to the global campaign for greater investment in community mental health services. 

The Far West Mental Health Recovery Centre (Neami Broken Hill) has won the 2014 Far West LHD Health Innovation Award.

The City of Sydney will continue funding its successful Way2Home project until July.

Neami Broken Hill, a new community based mental health facility, opens its doors to the public.

The Platform 70 initiative to halve homelessness by 2020 is just one-year-old but is already having early success in getting people off the streets of the inner-city suburb of Woolloomooloo.