Hawke’s Bay gets faster access to mental health support

People in need of mental health and addiction support in Hawke’s Bay will have another place to turn, with the new Hawke’s Bay Crisis Recovery Café opening this week and peer support soon available in the Emergency Department, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “We have seen strong growth in the peer support and lived experience workforce under this Government. We are better utilising peer support workers in a range of settings, and it’s been heartening to hear the difference they are already making,” Mr Doocey says. “One worker told me that, reflecting on her own experience, the peer support service is exactly what she wishes she had when she was struggling – someone who can say, ‘I see you, I hear you, I know what you’re going through.’” The new Hawke’s Bay Crisis Recovery Café, Te Wāhi Poutoko Hūmārie, will provide a calm, peer-led place in the community for people who need support. “Emergency departments aren’t always the best environment for someone experiencing mental distress. They can be busy, brightly lit and feel far too clinical when often what someone needs is a calm place to sit down and talk to someone who understands. “That’s why we are rolling out Crisis Recov