Vanessa Latham, who manages the Royal Flying Doctor Service mental health services out of Broken Hill, has been named Southern Cross University’s Community Impact Alumnus of the Year.
The annual awards recognise outstanding graduates of the University. Vanessa is one of five recipients.
Vice Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Carlin, congratulated all the winners.
“At Southern Cross University our greatest pride is the calibre of our graduates.
“Whether they are working locally or abroad, so many are focused on improving the lives of others.
“It’s inspiring to see the range of activities they are engaged in – from art to mental health and entrepreneurship to national defence – and the passion with which they face every challenge.”
Vanessa initially did her Southern Cross University nursing placement in Broken Hill with the Royal Flying Doctor Service 11 years ago.
As the Mental Health Manager for the entire region, she is leading numerous mental health services for some of the most remote communities in the country, supporting people living with extremely adverse conditions due to lifestyle impacts, geographical isolation, and individual vulnerabilities.
The team includes counsellors, psychologists, play therapists, art therapists and mental health nurses, and covers community engagement, lived experience workers and Alcohol and Other Drug (AoD) clinicians.
According to the university, regional and remote communities’ access mental health services at one-fifth the rate of city populations.
Vanessa has played a crucial role in implementing the ‘wellbeing space’ for the RFDS, a place where anyone can access preventative support and wellbeing services such as yoga, meditation and treatment interventions, including counselling and psychotherapies.
“The most rewarding part of my job is those one-on-one connections where you can just use yourself to accept them as they are, and in that moment, they show compassion and I show compassion.
“When I started, there were just two of us, and now there’s over 30.
“Had I not come to Broken Hill on my placement, I probably wouldn’t be here.”
“The wellbeing place is designed so that the minute you walk through the door, it’s a really calming, peaceful environment,” she said.
“A lot of the workshops are in partnership with local people, so it allows them to share their skills for the benefit of the community’s health and wellbeing.”
“As much as we try so many different strategies, I always wonder who’s out there that we don’t yet know,” she said.
