Health & Wellbeing

New data has shown despite challenges presented by the Omicron COVID variant, Southern NSW public hospitals delivered above state-average care. The Bureau of Health Information's January-March 2022 report showed the Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) had 26,632 emergency department (ED) presentations across the quarter. The region's public hospitals are Batemans Bay District Hospital, Moruya District Hospital, Goulburn Base Hospital,...

At the height of COVID-19 when everyone else was hunkering down, a Boorowa doctor travelled thousands of kilometres throughout southern NSW providing vaccinations to those who needed them. For Dr Nang Win, who runs the Boorowa Medical Centre, it's what she does. When assistance is needed in rural and remote communities, she's there. As the local GP or wearing one...

Yoga saved Priscilla Hensler's life, but you might be surprised by her advice for others battling their own demons. "Find a trusted medical professional and follow their advice," she said. "Don’t listen to laymen, don't go to the internet. Be patient and don't be afraid of medication." Priscilla provided many people who grew up in the Eurobodalla in the 1990s...

The Eurobodalla's mayor has joined the nationwide call urging the community to show its support for LGBTQIA+ people this Pride Month. Pride Month runs every June and, according to UN Youth Australia, celebrates the diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community. It also provides a time to reflect on how far civil rights have progressed in half...

The Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHS ) has taken home a state award after its Keeping Pregnant Women Safe and Close to Home program exceeded expectations. The world-class program took home the NSW Health Patient Safety First award, which recognised innovative and sustainable health programs that delivered good outcomes for patients and invested in the wellness of communities. SNSWLHS's quantitative fetal...

Walking 300 km in just 11 days, league great Royce (Simmo) Simmons has raised more than $650,000 to support the Dementia Australia Research Foundation (DARF), exceeding his initial goal of $500,000. During the highly-publicised walk from his hometown of Gooloogong in the NSW Central West, Royce passed through towns including Cowra, Blayney, Bathurst, Lithgow and Katoomba on his way to Penrith’s...

With regional health set to be high on the political agenda in the coming month, the Griffith community has been given a sneak peek at the Griffith Base Hospital redevelopment plans. A fly-through animation video was released last week taking viewers on a journey through the new three-storey Clinical Services Building at the heart of the $250 million project. Minister...

Before his diagnosis, farmer Rob Bell believed Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was a disease that only affected others. "The only thing I knew about it was that it was one of those things that happened to someone else," he said. It’s easy to be optimistic; however, research showed that one in three Australians would be directly impacted by MS through a...

Crookwell Hospital's new emergency department has increased the number of treatment beds, injecting tremendous positivity into the community. In addition to four more patient rooms, improvements included a new waiting area that is more easily accessible to the public and ambulances via an entrance positioned before the existing main entrance. Further upgrades were to medical equipment including ECG machines, a defibrillator...

Two weeks after moving to Wagga, Sari woke up with severe pain in her chest and abdomen. An asthmatic with a range of ongoing health complications, she began calling local clinics to get an appointment with a GP. After being told by five medical centres that they were not accepting new patients, she began desperately texting friends for recommendations and...

There are moves to change our general view of the end of our lives from a mostly solitary event to one that involves our community and social networks. "Many people wish to be cared for at home, surrounded by family and friends and free from pain," La Trobe University Public Health Palliative Care Unit senior research fellow Dr Andrea Grindrod...

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has taken on an initiative to end period poverty for its students. The University has partnered with non-profit organisation Share The Dignity to provide free sanitary products to the students on campus. Share The Dignity aims to help those experiencing period poverty and break down the shame and stigma associated with menstruation. Distribution is via vending...

As the country heads into winter, a new campaign is encouraging First Nations people to check in with their doctors to discuss COVID-19 boosters, vaccines for kids and the flu shot. South Eastern NSW primary health network COORDINARE has partnered with local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) for the digital campaign titled #fabvac. "This campaign highlights how vaccines make a difference, even...