SO that more young people can access critical mental health care and support services when they need them, Victoria’s Youth Prevention and Recovery Care (YPARC) network is being expanded with a $141M investment.
Acting Minister for Mental Health, Colin Brooks announced five new locations for YPARC centres recently, that include Shepparton, Heidelberg, Traralgon, Ballarat and Geelong.
By recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, the new YPARC centres will provide flexible, round-the-clock clinical care for young people aged 16-25 experiencing mental ill health.
Each new centre will have 10 private bedrooms complete with ensuite bathrooms, communal kitchens, dining and living areas, breakout spaces and outdoor gardens for rest and recovery, as well as family visits.
Designs for the new facilities will draw on the insights and experiences of clinicians, carers and young people with lived experience of mental ill-health by inviting them to participate in workshops.
Shepparton YPARC facility will be located on the corner of Numurkah and Balaclava Roads, Shepparton and operated by Goulburn Valley Health.
Existing YPARC centres in Bendigo, Dandenong and Frankston are also being refurbished and modernised, with the process to find a contractor underway.
