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13 APRIL 2021

NEWS AT HEALTHWEST

We trust you had a pleasant break over Easter.

PCP Funding extended until 31 March 2022

Following a long period of funding uncertainty PCPs were pleased to receive correspondence from the Department of Health outlining their intention to work with Primary Care Partnerships to consider their future in the context of the review and recent health system reforms.

Over the next twelve months, the department will work with PCPs to ensure that the high value functions of PCPs are maintained and strengthened as part of a more coordinated and integrated approach to prevention and health promotion in our communities.

HealthWest welcomes this news and looks forward to providing our system knowledge and partnership skills to support the development of a reformed health system.

What’s next after Community Conversations

Since the virtual launch of the full report Community Conversations: Talking about finding work in Australia on 16 March, I have received several requests to connect and chat about how we can work together towards greater economic inclusion for everyone in Melbourne’s west.

If you would like to discuss the report in more detail or be involved in the next stage of the work please contact me directly at Gail.ODonnell@healthwest.org.au

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) professional development

The first of the half-day training workshops to build program monitoring, evaluation and learning capacity started in the last week of March, with learning circles beginning in April. Additionally, the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Community of Practice on BaseCamp has been established as a hub for access to current MEL resources, information and for collaboration. These professional development opportunities are open to primary prevention staff from the organisations who form the Western Region Primary Prevention Taskforce.

Contact Kate Baker at kate.baker@healthwest.org.au if you would like to know more.

Better Health Communication data collection starts 14 April to 5 May

The Better Health Communication project seeks to help staff in Melbourne’s west improve their COVID communications to culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

It aims to do this by supporting the sharing of knowledge, experiences and resources among staff who produce COVID messages.

You are invited to participate in the survey if you prepare and/or circulate COVID messages for communities in Brimbank, Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay, Melton, and Wyndham.

There are two parts to the survey:

Part 1 focuses on translations of COVID messages, and which formats or communication channels are best for various communities.
Part 2 focuses on the learning and challenges faced by staff producing COVID messages. This part of the survey is anonymous.

Go to the Better Health Communication project site

HealthWest’s communication officer reflects on several unexpected questions that COVID raised in her work and how this led to the development of the Better Health Communication project.

Until next month,

Gail O’Donnell
Executive Officer
Gail.ODonnell@healthwest.org.au
(03) 9248 9665

HealthWest acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work, the Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung, and Wathaurong peoples of the Kulin Nation, and pay our respects to their cultures and their elders past and present.