MHFA in the Media
January 2008
On Australia Day Betty Kitchener received an OAM for her work developing the MHFA Program
September 2006
NSW MHFA Instructor Narelle Heywood in newspaper article about delivering a MHFA course in Wagga, NSW
Article PDF (249kb) (opens in new window)
April 2006
The Senate Select Committee on Mental Health has released its final report: "A national approach to mental health - from crisis to community".
- Click "here" for weblink (Opens in new window)
- Report PDF (150KB) (Opens in new window)
This enquiry is one of the largest and most comprehensive investigations into the state of mental health in Australia. The MHFA course is included in 2 of its recommendations:
Recommendation 4 (p7-8)
"The committee recommends that Australian Health Ministers agree to….
- Establish and fund a National Mental Health Advisory Committee made up of consumers, carers and service providers to:…
- promote and manage MHFA programs aiming for 6% of the population to be trained and accredited, targeting those with the greatest probability of coming in contact with mental health issues - terachers, police, welfare workers and family carers.
Recommendation 88 (24)
- "…ensure that rural police and ambulance services are a high priority for MHFA training".
31 March 2006
Betty Kitchener interviewed by the Alberta Mental health Board, Canada about the introduction of the MHFA Program to Canada. http://www.amhb.ab.ca/Publications/publications/openMinds/Pages/default.aspx
(Opens in new window)
13 July 2005
Julie McCrossin from the Life Matters Program on ABC National Radio talks with Betty Kitchener & Tony Jorm about Mental Health Literacy.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/lm/stories/s1412629.htm (Opens in new window)
18th November 2004
Paula Goodyer from the Sydney Morning Herald interviewed Betty Kitchener and Professor Tony Jorm about the Mental Health First Aid program. The resulting article was published in the Sydney Morning Herald's Health section on the 18th November 2004. The text from that article can be found here:
smh_181104.doc (Opens in new window).
30th August 2004
When the successful evaluation trial of the MHFA Program in the workplace
was published, Dr Norman Swan interviewed Prof Tony Jorm & Betty Kitchener
on ABC Radio National for the Health Report Program. The script can be read
here:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s1186674.htm (Opens in new window).
16 May 2003
There is also a report of the Mental Health First Aid Program written up in the Psychiatric News:
http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/38/10/32 (Opens in new window).
2 October 2001
The MHFA Program was first in the media on ABC TV on the Health Dimensions
Program. The script of the interview between Dr Norman Swan and Betty Kitchener
can be read here:
http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/health/transcripts/s381353.htm (Opens in new window).