New era for mental health

6 Dec 2022

Named after the pioneer of health care in the Casey-Cardinia region, Dr Percy Langmore, the St John of God Langmore Centre opened earlier this year to meet the growing need for evidence-based inpatient and outpatient therapy to assist people living with a range of mild to moderate mental health conditions.

“After community consultation in late 2019 and an analysis of health care provision and demographics across our rapidly growing population, it was clear that there was a need for mental health services in this area,” St John of God Health Care Langmore Centre’s Chief Executive Officer Linda Allen says. 

“Research tells us that clients have better health care outcomes and more sustained recovery when they have access to early intervention of mental health services close to home.”

The $18.2 million revitalisation and expansion of the old hospital facility on Gibb St in Berwick is home to 60-beds for a variety of mental health conditions such as alcohol and other drug dependency, depression, anxiety and personality disorders. 

Also new to the Casey-Cardinia municipalities is the provision of a separate 12-bed perinatal mental health wing dedicated to new and expecting parents.

“We know there are new parents suffering in this region with limited services,” Linda says. 

“We feel very strongly that it’s our responsibility to fill that gap for the community.” 

The new facility provides:

• private room accommodation with ensuites 
• specialised group therapy and day programs
• neuro stimulation suite for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatments 
• in-house dining facilities
• specialised rooms for art and music therapy 
• outdoor gathering spaces 
• sensory garden
• exercise studio 
• tea and coffee making facilities 

Widely recognised as a key contributor to maintaining good mental health, opportunities to focus on exercise, health and wellness are easily accessible and highly encouraged by our exercise physiologists and physicians who are on hand to support patients with their goals. 

“Many of our patients benefit from including exercise in their recovery programs,” Linda says. 

“Learning how to use exercise as a tool to manage symptoms, improve physical health, sleep quality and overall quality of life, is an important factor in treating many mental health conditions.

“It’s why we have a team of dedicated clinicians and an exercise studio on site to help.”

St John of God Langmore Centre specialises in the care of voluntary patients over the age of 18 years, providing greater access to mental health services for residents of Melbourne’s south east growth corridor and Gippsland.

For more information on any of St John of God Health Care’s mental health services call our Langmore Centre on 03 9773 7000 or email: [email protected].