Health & Wellbeing

Robin Stevens of Bendick Murrell in the NSW South West Slopes would be the first to tell you about the benefits of knitting as a hobby. She’s been doing it since she was five but right now she’s particularly thankful for the positive vibes she gets as she settles down each day with the needles and yarn. It’s little wonder...

Local government areas in south east NSW are on track to reach the State Government’s 80 per cent COVID-19 vaccination target soon if the combined efforts of the health workforce and the community continue. That's according to COORDINARE, the Primary Health Network (PHN) that takes in a region stretching from Helensburgh in the north, past Eden to the Victorian border in...

Planning is underway for a new one-stop-shop healthcare facility in Batemans Bay with the NSW Government announcing $300,000 towards the process. Member for Bega Andrew Constance said the funding would help ensure the new HealthOne facility is developed with full community consultation. “The best way to build the most appropriate health facility that meets the needs of the local community...

The shortage of general practitioners across parts of regional NSW is at crisis point, according to Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips. Welcoming a Senate inquiry into the provision of primary health services to rural and regional Australians, Ms Phillips said practical, positive solutions are needed. “The GP shortage issue in my electorate is at crisis point," she said. "In...

UPDATED 12:15 pm: Bega Valley Shire Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick says while a positive sewage result may indicate the presence of people who have recently recovered from COVID-19, they could also signal undetected cases in the Merimbula community. The Merimbula sewage treatment plant serves about 15,000 people. “These results do not necessarily mean there are active cases in the community, but...

The past two years have tested our resilience as a nation. It’s almost unnecessary to repeat the formidable four - drought, bushfires, floods and a global pandemic - because if you haven’t lived through them, you would have been touched by them in some way. So, as we face yet another lockdown while health officials grapple with the latest COVID-19...

A new Senate committee will consider the Federal Government's Stronger Rural Health Strategy, GP training reforms and what areas are defined as regional and rural. Labor Member for Eden-Monaro Kristy McBain joined the call for the inquiry after 500 residents in her electorate signed her regional health petition and shared their stories. Ms McBain said the situation has hit crisis point....

Rural doctors are urging their local communities to be on the highest alert with the potential for a COVID-19 outbreak growing. Dr John Hall, President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), said the inexorable spread of the delta strain across rural NSW was making heightened readiness essential. “We know it is on the way - so please, wear...

They say it takes a village to raise a child and for parents in the Eurobodalla Shire, that village is about to get a whole lot bigger. New parents and their bubs will soon have access to renowned early parenting service provider Tresillian Family Care, as the service prepares to roll out in the region. A new Family Care Centre will...

UPDATED 4:35 pm: Canberrans who have fled the ACT for the South Coast as lockdown approaches can expect compliance checks from NSW Police and possibly large fines, according to Member for Monaro and NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro. "Stay-home orders will apply to anyone who was in Canberra on or after 5 August. Stop the spread and don't leave Canberra," he...

Medical staff and doctors are being abused and threatened as frustrations over the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in regional areas reach boiling point. “Many rural practices and health services are reporting that their staff are facing verbal abuse, and even threatening behaviour, when they tell people their place in the vaccination waitlist has not yet come up,” said Rural...

Member for Eden-Monaro Kristy McBain claims regional communities are being treated as second-class citizens following moves to redirect Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses from regional NSW to vaccinate Year 12 students in Sydney’s eight local government areas of concern. Ms McBain said regional NSW residents are being left behind because Prime Minister Scott Morrison "didn’t think the vaccine rollout was a race...

Signing up to donate your organs only takes a minute of your time and saves lives – something Eurobodalla Renal Support Group's Brad Rossiter OAM knows only too well. He is calling on the public to show its support for Donate Life Week by getting involved in the Turn Your Front Light On For Organ Donation campaign.   "It's all about raising awareness of...

Moruya's Nature Coast Dragon Boat Club has put out the call for interested locals to give the 2500-year-old sport of dragon boating a go. The club, which was established in 2006, is encouraging anyone above the age of 12 to participate in a free five-week program. New members will get to experience paddling, learn some techniques both on and off...

At a recent dinner with a group of friends, one woman told the group as she perused the menu that she had lost weight recently and was trying to stick to a specific calorie limit each day. At the same table was someone who had suffered an eating disorder and who has been open about her experiences and the negative...

NSW local government staff from several councils across the state have been reminded they are now eligible to take time off to get vaccinated without losing pay or affecting their existing sick leave entitlements. The development is thanks to a special splinter, optional award that was developed in 2020 in a partnership between the union representing council workers, United Services...