People living with mental illness in Northern NSW are set to benefit from better access to essential clothing and supplies to support their wellbeing, thanks to the expansion of Keith\u2019s Closet to Lismore Mental Health Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minister for Health Ryan Park, Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson and Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin officially opened the service, made possible thanks to an investment of $185,000 by the NSW Government to open additional Keith\u2019s Closets across NSW, including at the Lismore Base Hospital campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lismore outlet is the sixth Keith\u2019s Closet to open since the not-for-profit charity began operating in 2019, and the first outside of Sydney and the Illawarra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keith\u2019s Closet is a walk-in wardrobe which helps to clothe and support vulnerable clients with everyday essentials and is co-located at Tallowwood Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit at Lismore Mental Health Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is open to people who have an arranged \u2018shopping visit\u2019 with their assigned nurse where they can select outfits, footwear and toiletries from the donated wardrobe of goods inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pioneered by Keith Donnelly, former Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist in the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, the program has been running since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more information on Keith\u2019s Closet, visit www.keithscloset.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Health Ryan Park:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKeith\u2019s Closet has been supporting mental health consumers to access essential supplies to support their wellbeing since its establishment in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFocused on fostering dignity and respect, Keith\u2019s Closet is a truly inspiring space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen mental health consumers visit Keith\u2019s Closet, they can choose from a range of donated goods like clothes, shoes and toiletries. This helps them feel better about themselves so they can focus on their treatment and recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m so pleased to support the expansion of Keith\u2019s Closet to another NSW site where I am sure it will deliver for mental health consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKeith\u2019s Closet reflects the kind of mental health care we believe in. It is practical, compassionate and grounded in dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a simple idea that makes a powerful difference. A clean shirt, a pair of shoes, a toothbrush, these are small things that can help someone feel themselves again and focus on their recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are working to build a mental health system that supports people as they are. Keith\u2019s Closet does that by meeting people with kindness and giving them what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe new Keith\u2019s Closet, located at the Lismore Mental Health Service, will provide meaningful support to those in our community living with mental illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis innovative model of care builds on the compassionate care health staff at Lismore Mental Health Services provide each and every day to the most vulnerable in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keith\u2019s Closet Founder Keith Donnelly:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDuring my time as a student and qualified mental health nurse, I recognised that mental health consumers accessing our services often arrived at hospital with just the clothes on their backs and limited access to alternative clothing, toiletries and accessories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is about swapping the traditional hospital white gown for good quality clothing and accessories, helping to reduce stigma and boost morale and wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see Keith\u2019s Closet grow and now benefit patients in the Lismore area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s also really important to acknowledge Keith\u2019s Closet would not be the success it is without the amazing support of our volunteers, our sponsors and the wider community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" People living with mental illness in Northern NSW are set to benefit from better access to essential clothing and supplies to support their wellbeing, thanks to the expansion of Keith\u2019s Closet to Lismore Mental Health Services. Minister for Health Ryan Park, Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson and Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin … Continue reading “New Keith\u2019s Closet supporting mental health consumers in Northern NSW”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33982,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33981\/revisions\/33982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}