MateCheck provides care and service to the bushfire affected communities

MateCheck provides care and service to the bushfire affected communities

People affected by bushfires can access mental health treatment without a referral or mental health treatment plan from 17 January 2020

www.safetymakers.com.au Bushfire mental health treatment

If you live in a rural location and you or your family have been impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires, you can access telehealth psychological services through MateCheck Connect secure video telehealth platform. As part of our care and service to the bushfire affected communities, MateCheck will be bulk billing all sessions.

By ArissaBrunelli |

Friday, 17 January 2020
2:34:23 AM

Many Australians have been left devastated by the fall-out from the bushfires. New support measures to combat this devastation recently announced by the Federal Government, include a $76 million mental health funding package over two years, to support individuals, families and first responders impacted by the bushfire crisis.  Support will be provided through various measures, including free counselling sessions, additional psychological therapy sessions, and telehealth services.

The ‘mental health package’ will ensure firefighters and residents in fire affected communities have increased access to free psychological services. Almost $30 million of the total funding will go directly to boosting telehealth services and increasing the amount of free psychological therapy sessions bushfire-affected people can access through Medicare.

Australians affected by the bushfires will be able to access an additional 10 Medicare-rebated sessions, without a mental health care plan from their GP. This measure will be made available from 17th January until 31st December 2021. These Medicare-rebated sessions are in addition to the 10 psychological therapy sessions currently available under the existing Better Access Scheme.

The sessions can provide support through the immediate trauma and crisis, through:

• advice on distress interventions

• coping strategies

• social supports

• counselling

• family based psychological interventions

For those living in rural or remote areas, it may not be easy access mental health services in person, however, support through video telehealth is available instead, and there is a Medicare benefit for this service.  If you live in a rural location and you or your family have been impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires, you can access telehealth psychological services through MateCheck Connect secure video telehealth platform. As part of our care and service to the bushfire affected communities, MateCheck will be bulk billing all sessions.

For more information or to access psychological counselling services through MateCheck, contact 1300 628 324.

For further support and information related to the bushfire crisis, visit the following website links:

Bushfire mental health treatment
By | 2020-01-29T10:46:46+10:00 January 29th, 2020|Managing Safety, News, Workplace Health|1 Comment