The Hunter Institute of Mental Health’s work in suicide prevention was acknowledged last week by winning the 2016 LiFE Award for Community Engagement.
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Organised by Suicide Prevention Australia, the annual LiFE Awards are a national event recognising excellence in suicide prevention and attracts nominations from business, industry, media, community, research, medicine and government.
The LiFE Award acknowledged the important work of the Hunter Institute, which has actively worked regionally and nationally in suicide prevention through delivering successful evidence-based policy and programs since 1997.
It was recognised for the innovative and engaging work of the Mindframe National Media Initiative, which aims to encourage responsible, accurate and sensitive representation of mental illness and suicide in the Australian mass media.
It was also recognised for its Conversations Matter program, a suite of practical online resources developed to support community discussion about suicide.
The award was accepted by Hunter Institute Director Jaelea Skehan at the National Suicide Prevention Conference in Canberra last week.
In accepting the award, Ms Skehan noted how important it was for the staff at the Hunter Institute to be recognised, not just for the work they do, but also for the way they go about doing it.
“More than ever before, communities are interested in and engaged with the issue of suicide prevention, so we need to consider ways to involve them and support them to take on a role in suicide prevention,” Ms Skehan said.
“We also need to support communities when they have been affected by suicide and ensure that we give them the tools to talk about what happened and to heal.”
Ms Skehan said that the award is also an acknowledgement of the work done alongside communities throughout Australia.
“People will rarely hear about much of the work our team does with communities because the goal of that work is to support other agencies and leaders within communities,” she said.
“I am proud of the work our team does, often going above and beyond what is expected because they feel connected to and committed to changing and saving lives.”
The Hunter Institute translates evidence into practical resources and approaches that are fit-for-purpose across communities and works in partnership to deliver the best outcomes.
The Institute will hold a Being Well evening at Belmont 16 Foot Sailing Club on August 9 aimed towards building resilience and improving mental health and well-being.
Ms Skehan and ABC commentator Craig Hamilton, who had Bipolar Disorder, will be the guest speakers.