Chemists’ Own partners with Mental Health Foundation Australia to help Break the stigma around mental health

Chemists’ Own is proud to be partnering with Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA) to promote better mental health in local communities around Australia.

Chemists’ Own will support Mental Health Foundation Australia on its annual National Mental Health Month, running from the 1st to the 31st of October this year. This year’s theme is ‘Post-pandemic recovery challenges and resilience’, acknowledging the impact of the past year on the mental health of all Australians, and the recovery efforts we must now partake in to restore our thriving communities.

Mental Health Foundation Australia is Australia’s oldest community-based mental health organisation.
Established in 1930, the organisation has been raising awareness and advocating for the mental health
of all Australians for over 90 years by providing support, educational resources, and conducting important research.

Chemists’ Own Brand Manager, Jessica Velevska, said: “We are pleased to be involved with Mental Health Foundation Australia and National Mental Health Month 2021 – an initiative that Chemists’ Own supports wholeheartedly.

One in five Australians experience mental illness of some sort, and Mental Health Foundation Australia is dedicated to reducing the stigma and promoting non-judgemental discussion around the importance of this topic – especially in vulnerable communities. That is a mission that we truly believe in and are thrilled to support.”

As part of the partnership, this year’s annual Chemists’ Own Help Us Help Our Local Community campaign will be dedicated to supporting Mental Health Foundation Australia and breaking the stigma around mental health at a grass roots level.

The campaign will run from October through to December and pharmacies across the country will come together to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and support the cause through in-store sales of Chemists’ Own products.

Pharmacies will be able to register to participate over the month of September and participating pharmacies from each state will go in the draw to win a prize for their store and a $12,000 donation to Mental Health Foundation Australia.

Since launching the annual campaign in 2015, Chemists’ Own has attracted the support of up to 500 pharmacies across Australia each year to raise funds and give back to their local communities. To date, Chemists’ Own Help Us Help Our Local Community campaign has donated over $300,000 to important causes including Meals on Wheels and Leukaemia Foundation, with its focus in more recent years turning to support local early learning and childcare centres.

Over the course of National Mental Health Month, Mental Health Foundation Australia will roll out a number of community activities to promote positive mental health and wellbeing across the country.

This includes the MHFA’s National Walk for Mental Health, which will see Australians from each state and territory gather in their capital city on 10am on the 17th of October for a 5km walk to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and resilience in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Additional events running over the month of October include National Health Symposiums in each state, a Youth Conference and Future Leaders’ Panel on Mental Health, Virtual Mental Health Forums, and a Multicultural and Refugees’ Mental Health Conference – highlighting the Foundation’s mission to provide support for all Australians.

Vasan Srinivasan, Chairperson at Mental Health Foundation Australia said: “Our aim is that each year our work can raise more mental health awareness and reduce the frequency of debilitating mental health illnesses that many Australians struggle with.”

This year, Mental Health Foundation Australia will also host a special event dedicated to discussing the mental health of pharmacists – acknowledging the vital role pharmacists play in our community’s response to mental health issues, as well as recognising the mental health issues that pharmacists themselves are increasingly vulnerable to as a result of their profession.

“We are very excited that Chemists’ Own will be working with us to promote awareness of National Mental Health Month, and that they will also extend generous support to the Foundation through the Chemists’ Own Help Us Help Our Local Community campaign that will shine a light on the importance of mental health and wellbeing,” said Srinivasan.

As partners and proud supporters of Mental Health Foundation Australia, every purchase of a Chemists’ Own product will support the important work of the Foundation in championing positive mental health across Australia.