While Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA) has experienced a 50 per cent increase in calls to its national hotline over the past year, the need for access to mental health services still exists and it’s a demand Berwick’s St John of God Health Care (SJGHC) is actively intending to meet.
SJGHC understands inpatient perinatal mental health care is severely underserviced in the Casey area.
Langmore Centre chief executive officer Linda Allen said parents in the area were suffering with limited services.
“It’s our responsibility to ensure we can provide the services needed to fill that gap for the community,” Ms Allen said.
“And from mid-2022, our dedicated Perinatal Mental Health Unit will offer inpatient care for expecting parents, as well as parents and their babies, in private, cosy and welcoming accommodation, where access to specialised mental health clinicians will help with their recovery and assist in learning how to live well together as a new family.”
SJGHC’s former Gibb Street hospital is currently undergoing an extensive $18.2m redevelopment to convert and expand the existing site to meet a broad range of mental health needs.
While it already offers expertise in the treatment of addiction, anxiety and depression at its Pinelodge Clinic in Dandenong, SJGHC is proud to be adding a 12-bed dedicated perinatal mental health unit to its mix of mental health services.
The new Langmore Centre will see all of these services offered under the one roof in the new Gibb Street facility which will also include private room accommodation for inpatients, dayprograms for outpatients, a neuro stimulation suite for ECT and TMS treatments, in-house dining facilitates and therapy rooms, including specialised art rooms, internal courtyards, a café, gym and chapel.
SJG South East Melbourne Hospitals chief executive officer Lisa Norman believes the vision to provide perinatal mental health services is the first of its kind for this area and will enable SJGHC to offer a comprehensive focus on patient needs from head to toe.
“The Langmore Centre will complement our broad suite of services, across our various sites in South East Melbourne, allowing us to provide whole-person care for our community from birth through to senior years.”
As many as one in five expecting or new mums, and one in 10 expecting or new dads, experience perinatal anxiety or depression in the lead up to becoming a parent and during the first 12 months of their baby’s life.
Perinatal Mental Health week runs from Sunday 7 November to Saturday 13 November and this year’s focus is on ‘Breaking Down Barriers’.
