Suicide remains a leading cause of preventable death in Australia. This year we are proud to be supporting Eastern Health and its research into better understanding the outcomes for people with mental health challenges when they access a hospital Emergency Department for treatment, but do not wait to see a health professional or mental health practitioner at the time.
Through this research, Eastern Health has so far discovered that around 4% of people who go to the hospital Emergency Department seeking mental health treatment leave before their assessment is complete. The continuing research hopes to find out if suicide can be prevented through the right intervention at the right time.
BankVic also supported Eastern Health and its work to raise awareness of National Suicide Prevention Week in September and Suicide Prevention Day on Thursday 10 September. We highlighted Eastern Health’s research into suicide prevention and encouraged our people to light a candle on Suicide Prevention Day to show their support for hope and prevention.