Authors: Margaret Tobin Centre, Flinders Medical Centre
Year: 2007
Event: 2007 TheMHS Awards
Subject:
Type of resource: TheMHS Awards
Award state: SA
Award level: Winner
Award category: Exceptional Contribution to Mental Health Services in Australia or New Zealand
Abstract: Sharon Lawn commenced work in mental health in 1985. She completed her PhD on smoking in mental health and from 1998 to 2005 was chair of the Tobacco in Mental Health Advisory Committee. She also contributed consultation, research, advice and impetus to mental health services throughout Australia, New Zealand and overseas (USA, UK and Europe) in relation to tobacco use in mental health settings. Sharon is currently involved in developing policy to support non-smoking inpatient and outpatient facilities in South Australia by the end of 2008. Sharon was involved with consumers through the Tobacco and Mental Illness project which had a focus of quit smoking and this was identified as a priority area for mental health. Numerous Be Smoke Free programs have now been run for consumers over the last nine years, with a high success rate. Through Sharon Lawn’s involvement with the Chronic Disease Self Management Project funding became available to engage consumers in a Partnerships in Care project. This linked consumers into the Chronic Condition Self Management Model of service delivery, which provided the vision for the Peer Supported Hospital to Home Project. The project’s focus is to support consumers post inpatient discharge to ease the transition home. The project uses the skills and experience of people with a lived experience of mental illness and currently living well with that mental illness to provide support to others with mental illness. The Peer Supported Hospital to Home Project serves mental health consumers in the south of Adelaide by easing their transition from hospital to home. Under Sharon Lawn’s guidance, peer consumers who are living well assist consumers who are leaving the hospital to reintegrate into the community by providing support for a total of 12 hours over two weeks. The funding is provided by Metro Home Link. There are several such peer support workers, and the number of clients varies at any time, depending on how many people are discharged from the hospital and which of those people decide to receive the service. The project has been peer based and addresses issues such as funding for peer consultants and peer workers, quality assurance and support This award recognises over twenty years of inventive and noteworthy work in mental health enriched by a holistic vision of health, optimism and collaboration with consumers to deliver quality recovery programs. It also acknowledges the exceptional contribution to mental health services in South Australia, the results of which flow on to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of all. Description of Facility/Organisation:
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