The Eastern Health, Mental Health Program commits to using consistent language to reduce mental health stigma

The Eastern Health, Mental Health Program team has demonstrated its leadership and commitment to safe communication about mental health and suicide, as the first Victorian tertiary mental health service to sign the National Communications Charter.

The Eastern Health, Mental Health Program is a publicly funded mental health service operating within the Eastern Region of Melbourne, providing mental health assessment and interventions for people experiencing severe mental illness in hospital and community-based settings.

At the Eastern Health, Mental Health Program awards on Monday, 4 October, Lisa Shaw Stuart, Program Director Mental Health, and Paul Katz, Executive Clinical Director MHP, announced their signing of The Charter and the organisation’s commitment to being part of a nationally consistent approach to communicating about mental health and suicide.

Ms Shaw Stuart said, “We see signing The Charter as an important step as we strive to be leaders in delivering mental health best practice to our community. We know that the language we use is powerful and will promote a culture of connectedness, compassion, respect, hope, optimism and growth. Signing The Charter aligns with our recently launched Promoting Hope and Connection in Life: Zero Suicide Strategy.”

The Eastern Health, Mental Health Program team aims to adopt the principals and language guide and incorporate them into all policies and communication documents. They will begin by distributing the language guides to staff so that safe, inclusive language is used in all services and programs they provide to the community.