Gna Ka Lun is an adolescent mental health unit based at Campbelltown Hospital. The name means 'healing of the mind' and was kindly given to the unit by an Aboriginal Elder of the Tharawal people.
The unit has ten beds for young people who have an acute mental illness and need to stay in hospital. Young people are referred by mental health practitioners or NSW hospital emergency departments.
Learning Centre
When patients are admitted to GKL they have the opportunity to attend the Learning Centre which operates for two sessions each day. It is staffed by teachers from Rivendell School and provides patients with an opportunity to engage in educational activities during their hospital admission.
The Learning Centre teachers contact schools to advise them of the admission and to seek information about the student. The school counsellor who works at GKL may also contact the student’s school counsellor. All information will be forwarded to the medical team.
Schools are encouraged to provide work that enables patients to continue with their current school program.
Discharge
The psychiatrist and medical team decide when a patient is ready for discharge. Some students are granted leave from the unit before their official discharge. On discharge, the Learning Centre teacher will advise the school contact person and forward a report.
While every effort will be made to inform the school of the discharge before the student returns to school this is not always possible. Students may be discharged whilst on leave, during the holidays or on a weekend. Whilst on leave, students have occasionally presented back at school without our knowledge.
Please Note: The Learning Centre is not a school. The students remain enrolled at their census school throughout admission.