My Region - Midwest

In this month’s Better health, together video, WA Primary Health Alliance CEO, Learne Durrington is joined by Sustainable Health Review Chair, Robyn Kruk to talk about the WA Department of Health’s recently released Sustainable Health Review Final Report.

During its development, WA Primary Health Alliance has played a key role in representing the voice of the primary care sector and will continue to do so as part of a newly agreed strategic partnership with the Department of Health, WA.

The partnership is intended to enable the joint planning, priority setting and funding of coordinated care, giving priority to the delivery... Continue reading

With the upcoming Easter holidays, this leaves all general practices closed for an extended period of time, which means that patients will not be able to access GP appointments during this time.

To alleviate this issue, WA Primary Health Alliance are working with Telstra HealthNow to promote the 1800 Call A Doc after-hours service in the Midwest during this time. 1800 Call A Doc is a way for community members to access a doctor after-hours, when their usual practice is closed.

1800 Call A Doc can provide advice, diagnosis, treatment and prescriptions for a range of conditions. HealthNow cannot be... Continue reading

In this month’s Better health, together video, WA Primary Health Alliance CEO, Learne Durrington chats with Principal Advisor and Research Director, Dr Danny Rock about depression and our recent campaign to bring about awareness of this common mental health condition.

WA Primary Health Alliance have launched an important campaign, Depression looks different for everybody, which aims to raise awareness of depression, encourage people to talk about their feelings and urge them to seek help.The campaign captures personal stories of depression as mini documentaries and in artworks to help people recognise the symptoms of this mental health condition that impacts about... Continue reading

To end the year, WA Primary Health Alliance CEO, Learne Durrington is joined by Board Chair, Dr Richard Choong to reflect on the journey so far, our impact on the primary care sector and what success will look like in five years from now.

WA Primary Health Alliance is making an impact on the fabric of the healthcare environment through our role in creating the right conditions to ensure the best possible health outcomes for all Western Australians, particularly for those who fall through the gaps.

Bridging the divide between what are in effect the two different health systems and... Continue reading

This month, WA Primary Health Alliance CEO, Learne Durrington chats to LGBTI advocate and WA Primary Health Alliance Community Advisory Council member, Misty Farquhar about the role the primary care sector has to play in ensuring LGBTI people can access safe, inclusive and culturally appropriate health services.

WA Primary Health Alliance has an important leadership role in advocating for safe, inclusive and culturally appropriate services for LGBTI people, a disproportionate number of whom experience poorer mental health outcomes, have higher risk of suicidal behaviours than their peers and experience discrimination, harassment and hostility in many parts of everyday life, including... Continue reading

This month, WA Primary Health Alliance CEO, Learne Durrington sits down with Minister for Health, Roger Cook MLA to talk about the impact of obesity on Western Australians and our health system.

WA Primary Health Alliance is part of the WA Government’s Obesity Collaborative Steering Group which is tasked with developing a WA Obesity Strategy.

This strategy has stemmed from the inaugural WA Preventive Health Summit, held earlier this year. The one-day summit discussed the importance of prevention and encouraged broader thinking and community engagement around what we can do to encourage healthy lifestyles to reduce and prevent obesity and... Continue reading

The Heart Foundation is seeking WA nurses working in primary care and acute care settings who are passionate about improving the cardiovascular health of their patients, to participate in the free 2018 WA Nurse Ambassador program.

To ensure you get the most out of the program, you will need to attend three full day workshops which are held in Perth from March to June 2019.

The WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) is collaborating with the Heart Foundation to offer travel grants to nurses from rural and remote areas to attend these workshops.

For further information, or to request an application... Continue reading

During Mental Health Week, WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) CEO, Learne Durrington sits down to have a conversation with Western Australian Mental Health Commissioner Timothy Marney.

One in five Australians will be affected by a mental health disorder each year. WAPHA is committed to improving the mental health and wellbeing of West Australian people.

One of the ways in which WAPHA aims to do this is by working with a range of government services, community organisations and peak bodies to reduce fragmentation between primary care, mental health and alcohol and other drug services and supports in Western Australia.

The Mental... Continue reading

Due to the overwhelming response received from previous workshops, STARA are visiting Geraldton in February 2019 to present another Advanced Supervision Skills course.

The aim of the workshop is to provide participants with a framework to establish an effective and durable supervision/clinical education culture within health and human service organisations.

There are no pre-requisites for this course, however it is most helpful for people who are in positions where they manage staff or have responsibility for a student.

For more information, or to register, please view the STARA website.

Thursday, 4 October
10am registration for 11am start

Avivo will hold its third annual Amazing Race in Geraldton this Thursday to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental health issues in the community.

The event will involve teams of two and four people, making their way through 15 interactive stations, completing a different activity at each. Each station is hosted by a local community organisation, many of which support people living with mental illness.

The first team to complete all of the activities will win a $2,000 bike package from Revolutions.

Participants under 12 must be accompanied by an... Continue reading