Jackets for St Vincents Patients

Hi all,

As some of you know, in 2016 I experienced some major life trauma that resulted in me being admitted to St Vincents Mental Health hospital, a place I've now been to several times when stress and trauma in life overwhelms me.

Due to lack of adequate funding for public mental health and inherent flaws in the understanding and treatment of mental health concerns world-wide, being in the psychiatric ward of any hospital is (for many people) a terrifying experience.

I am grateful to St Vicents and it's staff very much for keeping me safe and helping me, but there is only so much they can do in a flawed system on limited budgets, in a facility too small and under-resourced for the overwhelming need of the community they serve.

Many, many people are not lucky enough to even get into a the ward when they need it. As such, those of us that do get in are usually in an acute crisis state, which is terrifying on it's own. This terror then compounds when you realise you've been locked into a confusing new place surrounded by strangers. You don't know when you will be able to go home, if you are lucky enough to have a stable place to go home to.

Patients help each other get through the experience and form deep and meaningful connections very quickly. I remember the names and faces of every person that I ever met there and the kind things we did for each other. Nursing and support staff also do so much and work in very difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions for low pay and little respect and support.

Many/most patients around me in the hospital had far less family, financial and disability support than myself. Few also have the opportunities I do myself outside of hospital to learn about treating complex trauma and healing myself.

Every time I go to hospital I see my old and new friends suffering. When I get discharged my heart aches that I am leaving them behind with less than I have to carry on and cope in there and in their lives outside which are significantly tougher than mine.

The best and safest place in the hospital for me and many others is the yard outside. You can connect with nature, reflect for hours on the incredible indigenous mural on the wall, use the balls and basketball hoop for exercise and have deep and healing conversations with each other, often over shared cigarettes which are a key coping skill that many of us turn to in this scary place/experience.

Winter has finally hit Melbourne with force, making the yard inaccessible to those that don't have appropriate clothing. Many people have nothing but the hospital pajamas, made of thin blue material. This robs us of both dignity and comfort in winter and the option of sitting outside in the fresh air.

As such, I will be buying and donating winter jackets to the ward. I've set this GoFundMe up for anyone who can appreciate the importance and value of this endeavor to chip in and help me buy as many as possible. While I don't like fast fashion, they won't let me donate second-hand coats due to risk of COVID, so I will purchase cheap but durable jackets from somewhere like KMart. (Recommendations welcome). Thank you.