Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently, I had the privilege to officially open stage 2 of the new $5 million Archerview Clinic at Hillcrest Rockhampton Private Hospital. Hillcrest is operated by Ramsay Health Care, a proud Australian company that employs hundreds of medical staff and operates hospitals around the world. The Australian government contributed $2.1 million towards the facility. The project has seen the hospital's mental health unit expand from 12 to 24 beds. Archerview is now the only private Queensland mental health facility of its type between the Sunshine Coast and Cairns. It fills a vital role in the demand for mental health care from remote country patients. Archerview will also become the only private facility outside Brisbane to offer a new treatment for depression. It is called transcranial magnetic stimulation and it is for patients who do not respond to medication for severe depression. The current drought and coal job losses in Central Queensland have been catalysts for depression, suicide and other mental health issues, and I encouraged people to seek professional support. My message to country people is that you should not feel ashamed or embarrassed in seeking professional help to look after your mental health.