Holistic Youth Program (HYP), a new service focused on linking young people living with severe mental illness with quality interventions and supports best suited to individual needs, has been launched in South Western Sydney.
The program, to be known as HYP, will be delivered by Grand Pacific Health and a consortium of partners including Community Links Wellbeing, One Door Mental Health and Flourish Australia.
HYP has been commissioned to enhance the vast suite of mental health programs developed and/or funded by SWSPHN.
HYP represents a new service model for youth with severe mental illness in the region.
It aims to ensure young people with, or at risk of, severe mental illness are linked with local services and interventions appropriate to their needs to support them in their recovery, and reduce long-term mental ill-health.
The model which underpins HYP, builds on services currently delivered via local headspace centres (Bankstown, Campbelltown, and Liverpool) and ReFrame (Wollondilly and Wingecarribee) to young people with mild to moderate mental illness. Core components and underlying principles of the model are informed by Orygen, which works to reduce the impact of mental ill-health on young people, their families and society.
HYP serves as a ‘step up’ for young people who require multidisciplinary team care and care coordination or navigation support.
SWSPHN Chief Executive Officer, Dr Keith McDonald PhD, said the new service would be implemented across three phases.
“Phase one involves referrals from headspace centres and ReFrame. Phase two ramps up service provision with referrals for young people transitioning from hospital services delivered by South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) to primary mental health care,” he said.
“Phase three will support young people who are yet to engage with hospital or general practice mental health services. A key focus of HYP will include multidisciplinary care and improved service navigation.”
Dr McDonald said calculations showed the new service would have the capacity to deliver about 7,000 hours of clinical and peer support.
Dr McDonald said Grand Pacific Health was experienced in the youth and mental health space.
He said the organisation managed more than 20 hubs including six headspace centres, including the Liverpool facility. Its services focus on mental health, youth health, physical health, Aboriginal health, and chronic disease management.
“Grand Pacific Health has built up a solid reputation in the youth and mental health areas, and we know our region and young people will benefit from their expertise and experience,” Dr McDonald said.
For more information about Grand Pacific Health and its services, visit www.gph.org.au.
The people of South Western Sydney have experienced their share of adversity over the past three years, with bushfires, flood, local tragedies and lockdowns. 
