Health & Wellbeing

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...

Government should go hard and long to get the best value out of COVID-19 lockdowns, according to a new study from the Australian National University. Research just published by a team of modellers, economists and public health experts from the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health and the University of Melbourne highlights the...

Marulan Pharmacy, near Goulburn, and Capital Chemist in Braidwood are among the first 22 pharmacies across regional and rural NSW that will begin administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the pilot program last week in a bid to boost the vaccine rollout, with only about 17 per cent of the Australian population vaccinated so far. “Local pharmacists...

A year ago, Leanne (surname withheld) was working as a dental assistant in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. Today, she's recovering from a major heart transplant at home in the village of Tarago, in the NSW Southern Tablelands. The transplant saved Leanne's life, but it's been a long journey and she still has a way to go to get...

Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman and the community's advocacy for a MRI machine for the region has paid off. An additional $15 million was revealed in the 2021-2022 NSW Budget announced on Tuesday, 22 June, for the purchase of a MRI machine for Goulburn Base Hospital. The MRI machine will be located inside the new four-storey Clinical Services Building, which...

Experts claim governments must do more to tackle climate change and fight increasing health risks from bushfire smoke. The Global Climate and Health Alliance has released an international report, titled 'The Limits of Liveability', which states governments must prepare public health systems to tackle the effects of air pollution from bushfire smoke. The report found bushfire smoke has a range of...

NSW Health says the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital is "expected" to provide level-four emergency, level-four maternity and level-three paediatric services, despite cutting the number of beds in those departments. The new hospital will replace Moruya District Hospital and Batemans Bay Hospital on the NSW South Coast. Responding to questions from Region Media, a Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) spokesperson promised...

People over 60 years of age now have more access to COVID-19 vaccines in the NSW South East with an extra 22 general practices accredited to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Tuross Head Medical Centre and Bombala Medical Centre will begin offering COVID vaccinations on 28 June, while two general practices in Crookwell and three general practices in the Shoalhaven are also now...