Pharmacist takes the lead
January 27, 2012
PHARMACISTS are coming to the
fore in the mental health sector,
with the new appointment of Kate
Carnell as the Chief Executive
Officer of the national depression
advocacy organisation,
beyondblue.
Carnell, a registered pharmacist
and former community
pharmacist, comes to the position
with a wealth of health and
political experience, having been
Chief Minister of the Australian
Capital Territory for six years, the
Minister for Health in the ACT for
three years, CEO of the Australian
General Practice Network and the
CEO of the Australian Food and
Grocery Council.
In relation to depression
services, Carnell has been a
Director of beyondblue since 2008
and Deputy Chair since 2010, and
also helped to establish Australia’s
National Youth Mental Health
Foundation, Headspace.
“beyondblue has been very
successful in the 12 years since its
inception, but much more needs to
be done,” she said.
“Depression and anxiety affect
the lives of more than one in five
Australians, so the role of
beyondblue in increasing the
understanding and decreasing the
stigma sometimes associated with
these conditions continues to be
very important,” she added.
MEANWHILE Carnell’s appointment
has been met with widespread
industry excitement, with the
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
saying it is pleased that a pharmacist
has been appointed to the position,
given the role pharmacy plays in
mental health.
“Pharmacists interact almost on a
daily basis with people who suffer
from psychological or mental
health problems and so are very
well-placed to help them but in the
past this has not been fully utilised
to the benefit of those with
problems,” the PSA said in a
statement.
“We look forward to working
closely with Ms Carnell and
beyondblue to further develop and
implement programs and services
to improve outcomes for people
with mental health problems,” the
statement added.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 27 Jan 12To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 27 Jan 12
