Men’s Health Connected Summit Day 3: Time to develop a male suicide strategy?
AMHF has gathered an expert panel on Day 3 of the Men's Health Connected online summit to discuss the question: “Is it time to develop a national male suicide strategy?”
The panel discussion takes place on 3 June at 10am and falls in the first week of the month-long men's health extravaganza, starting on Monday, 1 June.
It is just one of several events focused on men’s mental health and male suicide prevention in Week One.
The session will be chaired by AMHF board member, Pete Shmigel, a passionate mental health advocate and former CEO of Lifeline.
Pete Shmigel
Having worked as a ministerial adviser, Pete is clear that the actions that governments take are shaped by legislation and policy. Given that three in four suicides are male, he believes there is a strong argument for governments to specifically name and target men in their work to prevent suicide.
The panel includes:
Alan Woodward, National Mental Health Commissioner, who has worked alongside the Prime Minister’s National Suicide Prevention Adviser, Christine Morgan. Christine is leading a drive to make suicide prevention a cross-government, cross-jurisdiction and whole-of-community issue. This work marks a significant shift beyond clinical approaches to suicide prevention to consider the social determinants of suicide including past history of self-harm, alcohol and other drug problems, relationship issues, legal issues, unemployment, homelessness, disability, bullying, loss of a loved one and impacts of chronic health conditions.
Alan Woodward
Rebecca Burdick Davies is Director of Advocacy & Government Relations at Suicide Prevention Australia, the peak body for the suicide prevention sector. SPA recently called on the Federal Government to develop a male suicide prevention strategy that prioritises funding for community services targeting men vulnerable to distress; maps the journey of males who have died by suicide to identify Government agency touchpoints and training Government workforces to respond more effectively to men at risk of suicide.
Rebecca Burdick Davies
Ivan Frkovic is the Commissioner for Queensland Mental Health. He has worked extensively within the mental health system in Queensland for some 20 years, holding a number of senior positions across Government. He was also a director within the Mental Health Branch of Queensland Health where he led the Queensland Mental Health Commission Transition Team, which supported the establishment of the Commission. While in the mental health sector, Ivan has focused on realising the benefits of strengthening partnerships and collaboration, into fully integrated relationships.
Ivan Frkovic
Glen Poole, CEO of the Australian Men’s Health Forum, is a passionate advocate for male-friendly approaches to suicide prevention that include a focus on some of the key social determinants of male suicide, such as unemployment and relationship breakdown, and gender-specific policies that directly target men. He sits on the Expert Advisory Group to the PM’s National Suicide Prevention Adviser.
Glen Poole
The panel discussion takes place on Zoom and anyone wishing to attend this free event should register in advance
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Read: Great debate on suicide to start Men’s Health Connected Summit
Read: Join the Movers in Men’s Mental Health (AMHF)
Find out more about the Men’s Health Connected Online Summit running throughout June