Health & Wellbeing

Last week, the Southern NSW Local Health District announced details of a restructure that has been in the making for four years. In a press release on Thursday, Chief executive Margaret Bennett said there will be no forced redundancies. However, staff and union representatives say they are very concerned about the changes being put forward, which will see 53 full-time...

Two years on from his appearance on Love Island and Canberra electrician Grant Crapp still receives death threats on Instagram. "To this day, I have people telling me I should end my life for what I've done to women, that I shouldn't be breathing," he told Region Media. "I had one yesterday that said they wished they could drag me behind...

Spring may be here but beneath the wondrous green and gold patchwork landscape, with wafts of jasmine and fruit blossoms, hides a multitude of irritants that induce tears, sneezing and wheezing in many people in the community. Spring also means thunderstorms – of a sudden nature – which can also trigger asthma. On Thursday 3 September, Murrumbidgee Local Health District...

The pandemic is a running topic at the office, around the dinner table, and in news bulletins, but are we talking enough about the social impact of COVID-19, particularly for those separated from their families by state and international border closures? A survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that three in four Australians had weekly face-to-face contact with...

A young Broulee mum is emerging from winter full of vigour and vim thanks to an online wellness program being offered free of charge to drought and bushfire-affected residents of the Riverina and South East NSW. It was a Facebook post that caught Jess Buffier's eye in May, at a time when she was feeling particularly negative. She - like...

The free COVID-19 testing clinic in Yass has been relocated from the hospital to the former Landmark building at 1-5 MacDonald Street. The new site is a drive-through clinic, providing easier access for the community, and is open from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 12 pm. Yass resident Allie McClure visited the new clinic last week after feeling unwell. "It...

Women all over Australia have been asking for homebirth for decades, but have largely been hindered because of the difficulty and high cost for private midwives to purchase indemnity insurance. Homebirths account for less than 1 per cent of all births across the country, although that number is on the rise as cities have begun to roll out publicly funded homebirth...

A Crookwell doctor is on a mission to mask up her NSW regional town to prevent the spread of COVID-19 before cases spike. Dr Johanna Kovats has started the Mask Up Crookwell campaign with the support of the town’s four other doctors. They want everyone to consider wearing a face mask in the same way people practice hand washing, social...

It takes a steady hand at the tiller to steer a vessel through a storm, and right now, in the southern reaches of NSW, the health of 250,000 people depend on it. One person who has held unwavering eyes on the horizon is Jill Ludford, especially recently as the blustery tempest that is COVID-19 skulks on the border of NSW...

Although community transmission of COVID-19 on the Far South Coast appears under control for now, NSW Health recommends that anyone entering a health facility should wear a face mask to protect themselves and others from the virus. If you're on the lookout for a washable fabric face mask in a fun print, you're not alone. Demand is outstripping supply in many...

There have been 17 new cases of COVID-19 identified in NSW in the past 24 hours - none of them linked to the Eurobodalla. However a Surf Beach woman has been fined for failing to self-isolate after returning from Victoria. Officers from South Coast Police District went to a Surf Beach home on Sunday after reports the 63-year-old woman had...

Club Narooma and Club Dalmeny have taken to four the number of Eurobodalla clubs to close following a COVID-19 outbreak on the South Coast. Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, Club Malua, Club Narooma and Club Dalmeny have all voluntarily closed their doors for a deep clean after being told by NSW Health that an infectious person had visited the Batemans Bay,...

Eurobodalla Shire Council has announced it will close some of its facilities until a clearer picture emerges from the current Batemans Bay COVID-19 cluster. The council says the measures are temporary and will be reviewed as this week progresses. From Monday, 20 July, the waste management facilities at Surf Beach and Brou will only be open for bushfire clean-up contractors,...

Confirmed recent cases of COVID-19 in Batemans Bay have grown to eight following the past weekend, and anyone who dined at Batemans Bay Soldiers Club last week is being asked to be tested and self-isolate for 14 days, even if the test result is negative. This new development is having ripple effects throughout Eurobodalla, with some people expressing concern that...

Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes is urging people to stay at home if possible as concern mounts about the impact of a COVID-19 outbreak in Batemans Bay. Eight cases of COVID-19 are now linked to the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club and Mayor Innes is urging residents to follow the advice from NSW Health. “We must all take responsibility and follow advice...

Hundreds of people are being asked to self-isolate with a COVID-19 outbreak at Batemans Bay growing to eight. The Batemans Bay Soldiers Club closed on Friday night after two tourists who dined there earlier in the week tested positive. Initially, health workers were contact tracing anyone who dined at the club between 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm on Monday, 13...