Community Services


Street Address:
75-87 Clarendon Street
MARYBOROUGH   VIC   3465

Mailing Address:
PO Box 155
MARYBOROUGH   VIC   3465

Ph: (03) 5461 0400
Fx: (03) 5461 4828

Email: reception.comhealth@mdhs.vic.gov.au
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Ms Anne Watson
Acting Director of Community Services
 


















Introduction
In the Maryborough District Health Service 2006-2009 Strategic and Business Services Plan, Community Services was identified as critical to achieving the following main themes:

  1. Maintaining a strong focus on the model of care which seeks to treat and care for patients in a community setting where appropriate.
  2. Developing a Centre of Excellence for rural primary care and community based health.
  3. Innovative workforce development that enhances our service capability and response.

To achieve this we are working in a more integrated and coordinated way with; Health Promotion, RITCH, Dental, Drug and Alcohol, Housing, Community Health, Needle Syringe Program, Allied Health, District Nursing/Community Palliative Care and a range of visiting services including; Aged Care Assessment Services, Adult Psychiatric Services, Child, Adolescent Mental Health Services, Hearing Services, Legal Aide, Rural Outreach Diversion Worker and Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA).

Community Services works from a position of involving the community in service development, achieving outcomes through effective partnerships, and ensuring accountability to funding bodies, the organisation and the community.

Future Directions
State and Commonwealth funding in community and health services is reflecting world wide trends in supporting early intervention services and self management for chronic conditions.

Community services is responding to the government policy directions and our communities needs by developing programs in prevention, early intervention and self management of chronic conditions and lifestyle issues that impact on health and wellbeing. The strategies we are using to do this are:

• Best Start, early childhood intervention partnership
• Chronic Conditions Self Management Program including Breath of Fresh Air
• Developing a responsive Speech pathology Model
• Refining our intake and referral systems to be more responsive to simplify and provide improved and timely access a wide range of services.
• Developing community Falls Prevention systems
• Improving connections between younger people and aged care services through the Count us in Project
• Improving access for preschoolers to Dental services
• Improving health promotion/ prevention for Dental Health
• Developing health promotion and intervention programs to address mental health, nutrition, physical activity and social support issues.

Here are some useful parenting contacts and websites:

Useful info about parenting children 0 – 8 years www.raisingchildren.net.au
The Australian Breastfeeding Association http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/
Maternal & Child Health Line 13 22 29
Maternal & Child Health website http://www.office-for-children.vic.gov.au/maternal-child-health
Kidsafe – Child Accident Prevention Association of Australia http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/
Australian Childhood Foundation http://www.childhood.org.au/website/default.asp
Sids and Kids http://www.sidsandkids.org/
PANDA – Post and Antenatal Depression Association http://www.panda.org.au/
Better Health Channel http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
Pregnancy websites www.birth.com.au
  www.naturalparenting.com.au/
  www.alternativebaby.net/
Playgroups Victoria http://www.playgroup.org.au/
Children’s Book Council of Australia http://www.cbc.org.au/
The Little Bookworm – books to help language development http://www.thelittlebookworm.com.au/


Other useful websites: 
Central Goldfields Shire http://www.centralgoldfields.com.au/
St Lukes Anglicare http://www.stlukes.org.au/
Better Health Channel http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre http://www.dvirc.org.au/
Beyond Blue http://www.beyondblue.org.au/
Turning Point alcohol and drug centre http://www.turningpoint.org.au/
Problem Gambling http://www.problemgambling.vic.gov.au/