When a young person is experiencing a mental health crisis, the environment around them matters.
In Cairns, acute mental health care teens have received treatment in adult or paediatric wards that were never specifically designed to meet their unique needs. While the dedicated professionals working in those settings provide incredible care, there has long been a need for a purpose-built space where adolescents can feel safe, understood and supported.
That’s why I am so pleased to see the construction tender awarded for the new Cairns Adolescent Mental Health Unit, with Hutchinson Builders set to deliver this important project.
This new eight-bed facility will provide a dedicated environment for teenagers experiencing serious mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and psychosis. It will create opportunities for young people to connect with specialist clinicians and build relationships with peers who understand what they are going through.
Recovery is about more than treatment alone. It is about creating spaces where young people feel supported, maintain important connections and continue building the skills and confidence they need for the future.
The new unit has been designed with that in mind in consultation with clinicians and patients.
It will include dedicated education facilities, allowing young people to continue their learning while receiving care where clinically appropriate. There will be sensory spaces to help with emotional regulation, outdoor areas that encourage wellbeing and recovery, and welcoming family spaces so loved ones can remain involved throughout treatment.
Mental health challenges affect not only the individual but entire families. Having dedicated areas where families can visit, connect and support their loved one during treatment is an important part of the recovery journey.
As part of the $1 billion Cairns Hospital expansion and the broader Hospital Rescue Plan, this project represents a significant investment in the future of mental health care in Far North Queensland.
I was pleased to join Acting Chief Executive of the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Rex O’Rourke, for this announcement and hear firsthand about the positive difference this facility will make for local young people and their families.
Every young person deserves access to the right care, in the right environment, at the right time. This new adolescent mental health unit will help ensure more young people across Far North Queensland can access the specialised support they need close to home, in a space designed specifically for them.
I look forward to seeing construction commence and watching this important project take shape for our community.
