By ALENA HIGGINS
A PASSIONATE suicide prevention campaigner has given himself one last task before stepping down next week.
Johno Felton, director of Warwick Suicide Prevention Group, will be one of three panel members to leave the organisation on 25 November, but not before he gets the ball rolling on establishing a mental health hub for the Rose City.
Mr Felton, who is calling on local government and church support to acquire two blocks of land between headspace and Percy Street, said Warwick has major mental health problems.
“Obesity and drug statistics out now will only confirm that it would be a wise move to spend $2 million on getting a centre built,” he said.
“headspace has the under-25 age group covered, it just needs Beyond Blue and DrugArm next door with a side road then parking would be sorted.
“Failure to grab these two blocks before another fast food outlet franchise does would be a real tragedy.”
The former Vietnam vet said Warwick has many community health groups scattered across the city that could help people overcome psychotic disorders, but many residents were unaware of their existence. Headspace centre manager Sophia McLucas agreed.
“I think if we had a centralised service it wouldn’t be as difficult and people wouldn’t be left wondering ‘where do we go, who do we see’,” she said.
Mr Felton said the project required a concerted push, much like the one led by Cr Jo McNally a few years ago which saw six or seven million dollars acquired by the then Beattie government to build an underpass from the Catholic Church to the southern side of Wood Street.
“I am asking one of the councillors or the honourable mayor Peter Blundell to put forward a submission to our own health minister Lawrence Springborg to allocate $1 million from the State Government and $1 million from the Federal Government to build a centre for Mental Health, including DrugArm,” he said.
“In money terms getting people off drugs will save the health system the cost of sending them to prison and the cost to the community.
“At the moment the government is giving different organisations funding to come and set up in dingy shops
“They last about 12 months or so and then they are gone… not the right way to go.
“So come on all the churches around here – the Catholic Church did it to get the underpass, surely you can find enough energy to get behind this.”
