Search results

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives of local residents regarding the impact of the long-duration Hazelwood open cut coal mine fire in rural Australia.

A qualitative approach was undertaken involving 27 in-depth interviews with adults who lived in the town of Morwell, immediately adjacent to the coal mine fire.

Participant concerns focussed upon fear and confusion during the event, the perceived health effects of the smoke, anger towards authorities and loss of a sense of community and sense of security. One of the significant ways in which people managed these responses was to normalise the event. The long duration of the event created deep uncertainty which exaggerated the impact of the fire.

Understanding the particular nature of the impact of this event may assist the authors to better understand the ongoing human impact of long-duration disasters in the future.

It is important to provide clear and understandable quality information to residents during and after such disasters.

While there is an extensive literature exploring the direct social and psychological impacts of acute natural disasters, less qualitative research has been conducted into the experiences of longer term critical events.

The Gippsland Mental Health Vacation School program has been shown to positively change student participants’ interest and attitudes to living and working in a rural area. A range of factors are impacting on the future viability of the initiative including: limitations on the number of student participants, the reusability of content, staffing, time pressures, a dwindling funding base, and a drop-off in interest in living and working in a rural setting. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A three-phase Delphi Study was employed to engage with expert knowledge of the program’s key stakeholder groups (student participants and service provider staff) in order to inform the initial steps of shifting the program toward a blended model, distributed across space and time.

The results suggest that: first, the current mode of delivery, a week-long intensive face-to-face format, should be transitioned to a more sustainable blended learning approach that includes both on-line content and an in situ component; and second, trailing the use of social media as a mechanism to maintain student interest in rural mental health work following the vacation school.

This study highlights how the transition to a sustainable approach to the delivery of a novel rural mental health workforce recruitment strategy was informed through a three-phase Delphi Study that involved the key stakeholders (groups of student participants and service provider staff). The study has important implications for addressing the shortage of mental health practitioners in rural areas. It will and be of interest to educators, administrators, researchers and bureaucrats.

The integration of health or social services is an enduring challenge and especially so in relation to people experiencing “dual diagnosis”, the co‐occurrence of mental health and substance use problems. The emergence of the “dual diagnosis” concept has highlighted the tension between specialist treatment for single problems and complex, individualised care. The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolving nature of dual diagnosis initiatives in an Australian state during recent decades.

Interpretive, case study analysis of policy documents and key informant interviews (19) illuminates the experience of dual diagnosis initiatives.

In the case of Victoria, dual diagnosis responsiveness has evolved slowly over the last 20 years, delayed by the inherent difficulty of practice change, a weak perception of need, interprofessional tensions and shortcomings in data collection, coordination and resources. Key enablers have been champions and leaders in policy, management and clinical practice, directive government policy and targeted funding. Achieving a wrap‐around service system entails investment in interpersonal relationship‐building and stigma reduction, as well as technical or structural changes.

The paper presents a unique and independent view of a 20‐year period and indicates progress in attitudinal change that merits wider acknowledgement and application to other settings throughout health and social care.