Health services brace for worst

The central west's Health and Wellbeing Drought Committee, chaired by Loretta Johnson, the Queensland Ambulance Service officer-in-charge at Longreach, is especially keen to prevent the spread of misinformation through fragile communities about chronic depression and more drastic outcomes that can't be reversed.

"People in the bush are very resilient but it's a hard slog at the moment," Loretta said. "Some of the stories going around don't help at all, but our sharing of knowledge means we can clarify those rumours that breed negativity."

Central West Hospital and Health Services representative Jane Williams and chairman Ed Warren were the catalyst for the group's formation in June 2013.

As a rural family support worker, Jane was out in the field seeing how drought was beginning to impact people, back when only three shires were drought declared.

As a result of her concerns the committee was formed and now, nearly 20 months later, is still committed to meeting on the second Wednesday of every month to share and plan for people's well-being.

"The central west has been working on this for a while," Jane said. "We had to get the ball rolling for people. The funding for drought-related issues that's now available from state and commonwealth didn't exist initially."

The group consists of representatives with a wide range of expertise, from the police and DAF to Centrelink and Medicare Local, which means the possibilities of sharing information and getting assistance targeted in the most effective way is greatly improved.

A new partner is Rachel Thorne from the Standby suicide response and counselling service.

"We all hoped the drought would be gone by now but it hasn't, and the deep commitment by everyone to attend our monthly meetings shows how seriously we're taking it," Loretta said.

"It gives us an opportunity to improve referral pathways because we all know what each group does now. We can also bring up what has or hasn't been working, so that can be improved for the future."

The Bush Bible, a comprehensive pack with contact information of a huge array of people and services available to assist businesses and individuals in need, is one of the outcomes of the group's work.

Two group members, Jane and Liz Lynch from the Longreach branch of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, sat on the ministerial roundtable for mental health that met in Mount Isa, Charleville and Stanthorpe last year, and were able to share information on their region's needs in that forum as well.

Now the group is keen to ensure help is able to reach affected small business owners in the many little towns dotted through the drought landscape. The looming June 30 funding cut-off date is an increasing concern to the group, which is facing the dismantling of all they have built.

"Without ongoing funding, many of these services will disappear," Jane said. "The RFDS and RAPAD's financial counselling service will be all that's left to pick up the slack."