00:00Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has been instrumental in helping Kate Morrissey manage her bipolar.
00:08But sometimes hospital stays are necessary.
00:11My stays at the clinic have 100% saved my life on multiple occasions.
00:16She's been on the books at the Geelong Clinic, a private mental health hospital, for 20 years.
00:22But there are fears the hospital could shut down if no one buys it from Operator Healthscope,
00:27which is currently in receivership.
00:30I need the Geelong Clinic to access these services.
00:33I shouldn't have to. They should be available to everyone.
00:36But as it stands at the moment, I need this private access.
00:41Her husband wants the hospital to stay open, partly because their two children are at a higher risk of developing bipolar.
00:48The public mental health system in Geelong is purely there for crisis care, as Kate was saying earlier.
00:54It's not equipped for dealing with the long term therapy.
00:58Staff at the hospital say the uncertainty is damaging.
01:01We've seen about one third of the admitting psychiatrists at the Geelong Clinic leave over the last couple of years.
01:07That's partly because in hospitals, psychiatrists are asked to work after hours with lower pay than in other settings.
01:15The remuneration for psychiatrists in these settings has been basically frozen for over a decade.
01:21Advocates say if the 73-bed clinic closed, Geelong's smaller public unit, the Swanston Centre, would be under severe pressure.
01:29Particularly in the last few weeks, the angst amongst the community has really increased.
01:34We see this as a critical infrastructure. It can't fall over.
01:37And for a place like Geelong, it is a really big part of the puzzle.
01:42But the federal government says there will be no bailout for HealthScope.
01:46HealthScope says the staff here continue to provide exceptional care for the community.
01:51And there's no intention at this stage of selling off any of its hospitals.
01:56In the last few weeks, the
02:09Have a great day.
02:10Have a great day.
02:12I will die.
02:13Bye.
02:14Bye.
02:14Bye.
02:15Bye.
02:16Bye.
02:18Bye.
02:20Bye.
02:21Bye.
02:22Bye.
02:22Bye.
02:24Bye.
02:24Bye.
02:25Bye.
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