Katie was called a 'revolving door patient'; now she's fighting for adolescents

Her own motto, "shame thrives in silence but dies in connection", is a reminder to reflect on her growth and continued advocacy through her mental health battles.

When the Wodonga resident was just 12 years old, she began having suicidal thoughts, which turned to self-harm.

Now 20, over the years, she has been admitted to the adolescent mental health inpatient beds at Eastern Health's Box Hill Hospital six times.

It is the closest adolescent unit to the Border.

"If you can't go there, you stay in emergency or you get discharged home, and they will contact you when they have a bed, or you go to the adult unit, which I've been to, and that's not helpful," she said.

She began advocating for adolescent inpatient beds at Albury Wodonga Health two years ago, to add to the 58 beds in Victoria, four being in regional areas.

On Tuesday, August 19, she co-established Beyond Beds, a campaign to demand more adolescent inpatient beds in Victoria.

It is part of an advocacy group for young people and trauma survivors that she created - Silent Sounds of Survivors.

"Realistically, what we're hoping for is at least even a single bed more in rural Victoria, even though that's not enough, and we need so much more than that," she said.

She is applying for grant funding to build a system that focuses on prevention and early intervention, without leaving regional and rural patients behind.

The social work student believes it would be ideal if future beds were also colourful, allowed outside access and had sensory rooms available.

When Miss Kendall turned 18, she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and now receives dialectical behaviour therapy, which she accesses online.

She chose to make the switch to private healthcare to get the treatment she needs.

She said although conversations around mental health were improving, there was still stigma around her diagnosis.

"I got called a revolving door patient when I was in and out of emergency departments and inpatient units," she said.

Miss Kendall has suggested to politicians that the Wodonga emergency department should be redeveloped to include an adolescent inpatient unit; however, with the Albury hospital redevelopment plans, it will close around 2028.

"I am strongly advocating for the new Albury-Wodonga hospital redevelopment to include adolescent inpatient beds, I think it's very much needed in our area," she said.

"I've lost friends to suicide in our area, family as well."

The Albury hospital redevelopment's planned clinical services building will replace and expand the existing Nolan House, from a 24-bed service to 32 beds; however, there is no mention of whether this will include an adolescent unit.

It is proposed to be placed on the sixth floor, raising concerns of Albury citizen of the year Richard Hendrie and Greens MP Amanda Cohn.

Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson had said it was planned to go on the sixth floor to prevent "health patients and consumers gawking at mental health consumers".

On March 6, 2025, Benambra MP Bill Tilley also asked the health minister to provide the number of admissions to the adolescent mental health unit at Box Hill from the Benambra electorate district in the 2024 calendar year.

"They are away from family, friends and support networks and the cost is horrendous, the emotional toll obvious and the financial impost on health services and family significant," he said.

"That is not to mention the morality of having that young person sitting in emergency at Albury Wodonga Health during an acute episode, sometimes for hours on end."

Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Men's Referral Service 1300 776 491; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732; National Elder Abuse 1800 ELDERHelp (1800 353 374)