The Central Coast’s free Veterans Connect service, launched in early 2023, has already helped many Veterans get the support they need – including appointments with medical specialists like psychiatrists, psychologists and physios.
The Central Coast’s free Veterans Connect service, launched in early 2023, has already helped many Veterans get the support they need – including appointments with medical specialists like psychiatrists, psychologists and physios.
More than 4,000 former defence personnel call the Central Coast home – per capita the Central Coast has more Veterans than anywhere else in Australia. The Veterans Connect program, funded by the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network, grew out of a national Primary Health Network submission to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
Veterans Connect links veterans, their families, and carers to a wide range of supports (everything from veterans’ peer groups to clinical services) and is delivered by the not-for profit organisation, Social Futures.
“Veterans Connect works as a central contact point to support returned service personnel in civilian life,” said Social Futures Mental Health and Wellbeing General Manager Simone Silberberg.
“We are already having successes. One Veteran reached out because they’d been unable to find a psychiatrist after months of searching.
“The Veteran came to us with the simple need to connect with a psychiatrist. We have linked that Veteran to a great psychiatrist and now a psychologist, both with in-depth knowledge and understanding of the unique veteran experience, and what the person has been through.
“Our goal is to ensure that we find the best possible professional fit for our participants.
“Six months on, the veteran is doing significantly better, family relationships have strengthened, mental health has improved, and the individual is feeling so much stronger.
“Only a few months ago, the veteran had to take a significant step back from career due to how the person was feeling, but now, their career is back on track, and the veteran has even been able to take on some volunteer work to help other veterans.”
Data shows that Veterans and their families are more vulnerable to mental health disorders resulting in a higher need for assistance with understanding and accessing appropriate health services. The goal of Veterans Connect is to help Veterans, their families and carers navigate services and overcome any barriers to accessing care. Veterans Connect can be their single point of contact.
To contact Veterans Connect call 1800 719 625 or email [email protected]
If you need immediate support, call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.