New forensic rehabilitation unit to help vulnerable consumers
 

Sydney Local Health District has officially opened the new Burudyara Forensic Rehabilitation Mental Health Unit, part of the Concord Centre for Mental Health.

The new facility will provide accommodation for 42 consumers who have a mental illness and who are, or have been, in contact with the criminal justice system. 

NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce AM said Burudyara’s work would be part of a valuable safety net for some of the state’s most vulnerable people.

“We've learnt this time and time again, particularly over the last six years, [NSW Heath] is a safety net for society, for people who need us the most,”

“It's something that's really important to us that we continue to offer services like this in a modern and contemporary way. I really want to thank all of you, though, all of you who work in this space and care for people.”

District Chief Executive Deb Willcox AM said Burudyara would play an important part in the lives of the people it would serve.

“These are people who have lived through situations that most of us could never imagine,” she said.

“It is wonderful that we can give them the dignity, the care and the support they need in a place like this that feels more like home than an institution. We are very lucky to be part of a health system that can deliver something like this.”

Burudyara has been built in partnership with Health Infrastructure and is part of the NSW Government’s $700 million Statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program.

The facility takes its name from the Dharug language word for butterfly, symbolising new beginnings, hope and hope.

Spaces throughout Burudyara feature an artwork created by Biripi woman Vicki Goulding, which is designed to tell a story of journeys and pathways leading into a central meeting place where people can gather, connect and share healing.