The launch of the Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (PYMHWS) on 1 July is a significant milestone in the evolution of youth mental health care in Victoria, and one Orygen is proud to have helped shape.
For more than 30 years, Orygen – in partnership with Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne – developed, evolved and operated the groundbreaking Orygen Specialist Program as a program of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Its transformation into PYMHWS – an independent, dedicated youth mental health service for the young people of Melbourne’s north and west – reflects the culmination of work that Orygen helped lead, advocating for a youth-specific approach to specialist mental health care, grounded in evidence.
This is a proud moment, which cements the field of youth mental health (ages 12–25) as a distinct field of care and research – a concept central to Orygen’s mission, and one we successfully championed in the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
The implementation of PYMHWS is a tangible example of Orygen’s long-standing leadership in designing, delivering and influencing new models of care. This work continues at a national and international level, including our leadership of the national Models of Care Consortium, and we also look forward to working closely with the Albanese Government to bring its transformational youth mental health election commitments to life.
At the same time, we are committed to integrating our network of Orygen-led headspace centres with PYMHWS: this is critical to ensure the young people in Melbourne’s north and west have access to the best possible care, and to unlock the full potential of Orygen’s ongoing research partnership with PYMHWS, bringing cutting-edge research directly into everyday care.
We wish PYMHWS, its leadership team and all staff every success in the years ahead. This is a vital opportunity to demonstrate what a truly integrated youth mental health system can deliver.
Success in Melbourne’s north and west will reverberate not only nationally, but around the world, as we look to confront the global youth mental health crisis.
If you currently access the Orygen Specialist Program, your services will continue without disruption with the same care team at the same locations. If you are not currently accessing the service but are looking for yourself or someone you care for, please visit the PYMHWS website. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Triple Zero (000).