East Gippsland remote area mental health clinicians are now connected wherever they travel thanks to a Latrobe Regional Health (LRH) pilot program to install Starlink to their fleet vehicles.
LRH has received a Victorian government Department of Health grant to install the satellite high speed internet to two fleet cars based at the Bairnsdale and Orbost community mental health sites.
LRH mental health outreach clinician Jackie Taylor travels through isolated stretches to see her patients who are spread across the outreaches of the Snowy River to the Victorian far eastern border.
The Orbost-based worker said in many cases, she could be without mobile or internet services for days while visiting patients.
“Quite a few of my psychiatrist appointments have been in the front seat of the car,” Ms Taylor said.
“I’ll pick up the client and we’ll go for a drive until I can get reception and then we’ll sit in the car to have our psychiatrist review.”
Ms Taylor said the technology is also keeping staff safe while driving out bush, sometimes navigating hazards such as water crossings.
She said her car slipped in wet conditions on an isolated dirt road and she had no way of contacting anyone.
“I had no phone reception and nobody really knew where I was and I was on an un-named road,” she said.
“Starlink can now keep me connected so when I’m out in the middle of nowhere, I will be able to link in with psychiatrists and other members of the team.”
LRH Technical Project Officer Jessica Colantuono said the technology was designed specifically for fleet use and was carefully selected to suit the region’s terrain.
“We needed a solution that would work reliably in dense bushland and mountainous areas where traditional mobile networks simply don’t reach,” she said.
“Starlink gives our clinicians a stable, high-speed connection wherever there’s a clear view of the sky. That means secure access to telehealth consultations and internal systems.”
The digital trial was borne out of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, which recognised unmet needs for mental health and wellbeing services in rural and regional Victoria.
It highlighted poor mental health is higher for young people in rural locations, partly because of barriers to accessing services.
LRH Executive Director of Mental Health Mike Gatsi said this digital initiative was about providing equity of access for rural communities.
“For people living in some of Victoria’s most remote communities, geography should not determine the level of mental health care they receive,” Mr Gatsi said.
“By investing in innovative digital solutions like this, we are reducing those barriers and supporting both our workforce and our consumers.
“This is a practical example of how we are modernising rural mental health care.”
