Lived experience is a welcome sign at Katoomba Community Health Centre

Thanks to funding secured through an Inclusion Collaborative Grant, the Centre has commissioned original artworks from local artists with lived experience, including those who have accessed services at the Centre. The project aims to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all who walk through its doors.

Michelle Everett, Clinical Psychologist and project lead, saw an opportunity to enhance the Centre’s physical space in a way that reflects its values.

“Not having deliberate artworks on the walls was a missed opportunity to convey something about the Centre – about a sense of welcome and inclusion,” she said.

“We wanted to work with artists who’ve also used the Centre, to produce art that expresses their own sense of inclusion and of welcoming. The artworks say something a little more interesting and vibrant – not just about the Centre, but about our community and the people who use it.”

The project invited artists with diverse lived experiences including neurodivergence, mental health recovery, family diversity, substance use, gender identity, and trauma to respond to an Expression of Interest (EOI). Artists with Aboriginal and culturally diverse backgrounds were also encouraged to participate.

Consumer representative Liam supported the outreach efforts.

“I’ve used the Centre before, and as a consumer representative the staff can bounce ideas off me,” he said.

“For this project I did a bit of advertising, including at the local TAFE, and just recommended it to whoever I spoke to, putting the name out there, sending off little flyers and stuff like that.”

Among the selected artists was Xi, a consumer representative and painter, who supplied two paintings as part of the initiative.

“One is a street scene of Katoomba near the Carrington – a familiar landmark that might help people feel safe. The second is about childcare, since the Centre is often used by women and families,” she said.

The artworks are now displayed in the Centre’s corridors and therapy rooms, replacing generic and dated pieces with vibrant, meaningful expressions of community and care. Materials used were selected to meet health setting safety standards, and artists were compensated for their contributions.

A staff committee with representatives from Child and Youth Mental Health Services and Prevention and Response to Violence Abuse and Neglect, worked alongside three consumers to assess submissions and coordinate the commissioning process.

The project reflects the Centre’s model of care, which values diversity, lived experience, creative expression and collaboration.

This initiative is a testament to the power of community-led design and the importance of creating spaces that reflect the people they serve.

The Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District Inclusion Collaborative Seeding Grants program is funded by Population Health and Workforce Strategy and Culture teams. The program aims to provides financial support to assist NBMLHD staff members to develop and implement projects that enhance diversity and inclusive practices for consumers and/or staff across the LHD.