Australian Rotary Health (ARH) is a national, not-for-profit organisation which funds health research and provides community education about health in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The organisation supports work on a broad range of health problems, but specialises in mental health. It is supported by Australian

Rotary Clubs Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and pe ...

History

ARH was founded by Ian Scott, a member of the Rotary Club of

Mornington, Victoria Mornington is a seaside suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located on the Mornington Peninsula south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. It is the most populous locality in the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government ...

.Henningham, P. (2011). With Health in Mind: The Story of Australian Rotary Health. Parramatta: Australian Rotary Health. In 1981, Scott was so moved by the impact of

sudden infant death syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sometimes known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and ...

(SIDS) on families that he resolved to set up a fund to support research on this and other family health problems. This resulted in the establishment of the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund (later called ARH) with

Royce Abbey Royce Abbey (8 June 1922 – 20 February 2014) was an Australian who was President of Rotary International in 1988–89.Henningham, P. (2007). Royce Abbey: The Boy, the Soldier, the Businessman, the Rotarian Leader. Parramatta: RDU Books. Car ...

as the inaugural chair of the board. The Fund offered its first research grants in 1985. The Fund initially supported research on sudden infant death syndrome, including a project which showed that prone sleeping position of the infant was a major risk factor. An information campaign following this research led to a rapid fall in the deaths from SIDS in Australia.Jorm, A.F., Sawyer, M.G. & Gillett, J. (2011). Celebrating 30 years of Australian Rotary Health. Medical Journal of Australia, 194, 279-280. Subsequently, the Fund supported a number of areas of research, including environmental health problems of the aged, adolescent health and family health. From 2000, it began to specialise in support for mental illness research in recognition of the adverse effects that mental illness had on the health and wellbeing of children, youth and adults in Australia.Jorm, A.F., Sawyer, M.G. & Gillett, J. (2012). Australian Rotary Health: a major contributor to mental illness research and mental health awareness in Australia. Australasian Psychiatry, in press. ARH is currently the largest non-government funder of research in this area in Australia. In 2009, the name was changed from the ''Australian Rotary Health Research Fund'' to ''Australian Rotary Health'' because the organisation had broadened its scope to include community mental health awareness and education activities, in addition to support for research.

Support for research

ARH currently provides a number of types of support for mental illness research, including project grants, PhD scholarships and Post-doctoral Fellowships. In addition, it supports research into a wide range of other health problems with Funding Partner Grants, which involve Rotary Clubs raising money for a specific project and ARH providing matching support. ARH also supports students training as health professionals with Indigenous Health Scholarships, Rural Medical Scholarships and Rural Nursing Scholarships. In addition to the important research on SIDS, ARH has provided funding for a number of projects that have had a practical impact on Australia or have received awards for their importance. These include projects on: nutrition and mental health,

clonidine Clonidine, sold under the brand name Catapres among others, is an α2A-adrenergic receptor agonist medication used to treat high blood pressure, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), drug withdrawal (e.g., alcohol, opioids, or nic ...

added to

psychostimulant Stimulants (also known as central nervous system stimulants, or psychostimulants, or colloquially as uppers) are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition ...

medication for

hyperactive Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...

and aggressive children, e-therapy for

anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause phys ...

s, media reporting of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

and

mental health first aid Mental health first aid is an extension of the concept of traditional first aid to cover mental health conditions. Mental health first aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person experiencing or developing a mental health condi ...

guidelines.

Community awareness and education activities

ARH has broadened its activities to include many community awareness and education activities, particularly in the mental health area. They have included Community Mental Health Forums,

Mental Health First Aid Mental health first aid is an extension of the concept of traditional first aid to cover mental health conditions. Mental health first aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person experiencing or developing a mental health condi ...

Workshops and training of young researchers to better communicate with the public. ARH also offers an annual Knowledge Dissemination Award through the Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research, for excellence in knowledge dissemination and research translation.

Fund raising

Most of the funds provided by ARH have come from donations by Rotarians. In order to broaden the donor base, ARH launched Hat Day in 2011 as an annual fund-raising event aimed at the general public.

Key people

CEO: Joy Gillett OAM Chairman of the Board: Greg Ross Patrons: Glen Kinross AO, Rotary International President 1997–98; Sir Clem Renouf AM, Rotary International President 1978–79; His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd)

References

External links

Australian Rotary Health
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Rotary Health Medical and health organisations based in South Australia Rotary International Health charities in Australia