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Minns Labor Government Evicts Orange Community Mental Health Group after 27 years

The O'Brien Centre

Minns Labor Government Evicts Orange Community Mental Health Group after 27 years

 

The O'Brien Centre, located in Orange in the New South Wales Central West, has been served an eviction notice by the Minns Labor Government after years of threats, bullying and deliberate dilapidation of the centre by the Western NSW Local Area Health Service.

“The tears and frustration are what really gets me” says James Pegum, one of the centres volunteer directors.  “This is a massive own goal for the Minns Government.  We are meant to be expanding Mental Health services, not closing them down, especially those that don’t burden the financial and human resources of the State and are serving Regional NSW”

The O'Brien Centre has helped thousands of community members get a square meal whilst at the same time hanging out with others also experiencing mental health issues - all in a non-clinical setting.  "We have failed our local community in not keeping the centre open”, all the volunteers work so hard to keep the centre going" said Jeff Nalder, who Chairs The O'Brien Centre.  "I lost my son due to mental health challenges a few years back so for me, if my son had something like The O’Brien Centre near where he lived, he might just still be with us today”

Mental health nurses, staff & patients located at Orange’s Bloomfield Medical Campus are gutted that The O’Brien Centre is closing down, ending the provision of a non-clinical place for people struggling, to go and hang out with limited rules and structure.

The O’Brien Centre has been asking Health Department Property Managers for guttering repairs to stop flooding, together with some heating to be installed for the last 5 years, with the department refusing to undertake repairs.

“The NSW Government have told us the buildings are no longer safe and that we have to leave.  We are run through the generosity of our volunteers and donors at a site that has no meaningful alternative use” says Pegum.  We’ve been asking for a long term lease or to buy the site so we can conduct repairs ourselves and keep the centre open.  Its a community owned asset, run for community benefit, and we are being kicked out..... go figure!"

Western NSW Local Area Health Service (WNSWLHD) promised in an email on the 6th May 2019 two options for the Centre, firstly that the land be separated from the main Bloomfield site so The O'Brien Centre could stay where it is, and secondly a co-designed purpose built facility on the Bloomfield site.  "Both these options have disappeared into thin air" says Pegum. 

The Western Area Health Service (WNSWLHD) has offered an alternative site to accommodate the activates of The O’Brien Centre on a temporary basis, however when The O’Brien Centre committee members met representatives of the WNSWLHD last week and toured the proposed premises, none of the regular activities could be accommodated “we can’t even have a smoke or put the pool table in there” said Committee Member and consumer John Peters.  “They set us up to fail and pretend they are offering solutions, but they really know it won’t work” said Peters.

“The O’Brien Centre will close down and the group disbanded if we can’t work something out” says Pegum.  “We are now taking our fight to survive to Macquarie Street, because a solution can only be made by the politicians”.

The O’Brien Centre committee wrote to Mark Spittal, Chief Executive of Western NSW Local Health District on 18^th February after the eviction notice, however are yet to receive a response.

 

ENDS

 

For more information, please visit www.theobriencentre.com.au or contact [email protected] or James Pegum on 0416 235 849

Key Facts:

- Minns Government has Evicted The O'Brien Centre in Orange from its home of 27 years;

- Government deliberately delapodate heritage buildings to evict on health & safety basis;

- Full pack of location, previous letters contact James;

About us:

Established in 1998, the O’Brien Centre provides a safe environment where people with a mental illness have the opportunity to develop friendships, gain social and work skills, advocate for their issues and work to overcome the stigma around mental illness.

The former Mid-Western Area Health Service donated land and several large sheds on the grounds of Bloomfield Hospital which has evolved into a centre that can accommodate a diverse range of activities and programs.

While the O’Brien Centre provides an important means for people with a mental illness to develop skills, confidence and a support network to enable a smooth transition into the community, the awareness of the amazing outcomes from the program are not widely known, and require amplification through traditional and digital media streams.

We aim to create a mixture of organic and high-end content on a monthly basis, that aims to increase awareness of the centre, and ultimately grow the client base thereby ensuring the viability and longevity of the services it provides. q

Contact details:

James 

0416 235 849

[email protected]