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Mental Health Victoria – Croakey Conference News Service coverage of #Lived Experience online forum
Mental Health Victoria, in partnership with the Victorian Healthcare Association, ran an online forum on the importance of embedding the voice of lived experience in mental health system reform.
Croakey journalist Marie McInerney did an exceptional job of covering the event through both real-time social media posts and a written article summarising the discussion and themes that arose during the forum.
Her regular Twitter posts throughout the event generated lively discussion and helped emphasise and elevate the important contributions from the consumer voices.
The article that Marie wrote on the event, titled “Imagine a mental health system that meets the needs of consumers and carers” took the reader on a journey through the forum’s key themes along with images and other media to supplement the discussion. It received very positive feedback from all involved.
The future of health care is too important to leave to the mainstream media. Croakey provides a platform for robust, respectful and inclusive debate on the health issues that really matter.
As CEO of the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC), it is my pleasure to write a testimonial for Croakey. In the past three years, VMIAC have happily engaged the services of Marie McInerney and her team at Croakey to cover major events in the life of VMIAC. We have been fortunate to have Croakey cover our awards night last year and our conference the year before. Marie has brilliantly captured the essence of our organisation and the views of our members and stakeholders. I cannot envisage a time when we will not engage Croakey as we find their brand of journalism uplifting, accurate and honest. Marie’s ability to draw out the stories she produces is wonderfully fresh and always empowering. I would not hesitate to recommend Croakey as a leading service to any event.
Croakey is the platform where health issues are dissected from every angle – from the complex impact on health arising from social, economic and environmental policies, to the influence of vested interests on public health, and insightful analysis of health care policies. It is a place where I can read the viewpoints of those who don’t often get heard in the mainstream media alongside prominent experts, learn about the lived experiences of diverse Australians, and see opportunities and fresh approaches to tackle our most challenging health issues.
Croakey is now well established as compulsory reading for influencers and observers in health and medicine in Australia and internationally – and rightly so. As a blog, it gives voice to people who support or oppose government health and social policy. It allows people to express their views and opinions openly, passionately, and freely – from all perspectives. More importantly, Croakey provides a forum for new ideas and new thinking – based on experiences at the frontline of health service delivery – which we can only hope find their way into future health policy to provide better health services to the Australian community.
Croakey Health Media has been a valuable partner of the Global Health program at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney, for the last few years. I greatly appreciate Croakey’s contribution to our educational program and the efforts to inspire and engage youth to improve health systems.
With Dr Melissa Sweet’s outstanding supervision, our students have contributed to various media projects on the pressing issues facing Australian society, such as the climate and health dialogue before the 2022 Federal Election, and climate and housing issues for people with mental health. I can see that addressing health inequity is a clear focus of Croakey’s.
The coverage of Indigenous voices in climate and health conversations at Croakey is notably much stronger than the other mainstream media. I would be more hopeful of achieving a sustainable health future for all if we had more health media like Croakey.
Researchers and research organisations can increase their real- world impact by engaging with public debate and public interest organisations like Croakey Health Media. Being involved with Croakey has helped me become a better writer and communicator, with benefits for my research and students.
Croakey – it’s a constant in my life. It’s my first ‘go to’ place on the web. It changed how I viewed news. It took expressing an opinion to a new level. I love the way Croakey pulls out something new or puts a different twist on an old idea. The diversity of authors and timeliness of posts are very much appreciated. Bring me more of this!
If you care about a public health issue, or want others to care, get it online and get it on Croakey.