Murrumbidgee Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Alliance launches new participation platform

MPHN Senior Manager Priority Populations Anita McRae, Independent Chair of the Murrumbidgee MHDA Alliance Robyn Manzie, MPHN Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs Manager Maja Asmus at today's 10-year anniversary celebrations.

A new website featuring tools to support people with lived and living experience of mental health, suicide and alcohol and other drug challenges has been launched today, as part of the ten-year anniversary celebrations for the Murrumbidgee Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol (MMHDA) Alliance.

The website includes the Lived and Living Experience Participation Platform, a purpose-built space where people with lived experience, and their carers and family, can provide input to shape the services they engage with. It also hosts MapMyRecovery, an online resource to help people across the region locate and understand the mental health, suicide prevention and alcohol and other drug services available.

Independent Chair of the Murrumbidgee MHDA Alliance, Robyn Manzie, said the new website and participation platform demonstrate the Alliance’s commitment to community-led, inclusive and collaborative care.

“The Alliance is a powerful example of what’s possible when services work together toward a shared vision,” Ms Manzie said.

“We know that better outcomes are achieved when organisations put community and people with lived and living experience voices at the centre. The launch of our new website is another tangible step toward a more connected, responsive and inclusive system.”

The ten-year anniversary event, held at the Wagga Wagga Medicare Mental Health Centre, celebrated a decade of collaboration and impact by the Alliance, a group of services working in the mental health, suicide prevention and alcohol and other drug sectors across the Murrumbidgee region.

The Alliance first met in June 2015, with eleven founding members. Over the past decade, membership has grown to twenty-four organisations, which continue to meet monthly to share insights, develop regional solutions, and implement a shared workplan that reflects the needs of the people they serve.

Community members, service providers and people with lived and living experience are encouraged to explore the new website, contribute to the Participation Platform, and share MapMyRecovery with others to support better access to care across the region.

For more information, please visit mmhdaa.org.au