This is a free event presented by the ANU Centre of European Studies with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Speaker:
Professor Karine Chevreul, Health Services Research Unit, Paris Hospital Consortium, and National Institute for Medical Research, University of Paris 7 team, France

Mental health problems are of growing concern in the policy agenda in wealthy countries. Issues such as suicide prevention, access to and use of mental health care, inequities in psychiatric care, and the quality of patient care pathways are of particular concern. In terms of policy planning and implementation, local government and community play major roles, and their engagement is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of policies and programs such as developing care pathways or implementing prevention programs. Moreover, the involvement of local government and community in mental health planning could have a far-reaching effect, as it could help to combat the stigmatization of people with mental health issues, and improve attitudes and norms associated with adult help-seeking for psychological distress in the general population. However, it appears that despite official declarations and expressions of willingness to engage in mental health policy and planning, local governments and communities often do not do much in practice. This Europa Policy Lab will address challenges of engaging local governments and communities in mental health planning, focusing on the examples of France and Australia.

A light lunch will be served at 1.30pm and the Policy Lab will start at 2pm.

Professor Karine Chevreul is a medical doctor and professor in public health, specialising in health policy and health economics. She completed her PhD at the London School of Economics and has been a technical advisor to policy makers and Ministers of health, social security, elderly, disabled and family. Her field of research covers health services research and e-health in the field of mental health. She is currently the Head of Health Services Research Projects in the Health Economics and Health Services Research Unit of the Paris Hospital Consortium (AP-HP), and the Head of an INSERM (National Institute for Medical Research) and University of Paris 7 team (ECEVE), which is dedicated to providing evidence for decision making for vulnerable groups of people, notably people with mental health problems.

Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud