Live Life Get Active in Lockdown
Lockdowns, loneliness, job loss and lowered life satisfaction have taken a massive toll on the physical and mental health of Western Sydney residents. Comparing mental health data from April 2019 to April 2021, Beyond Blue noted a 31% increase in calls during the same four-week period1 and headspace research shows that 74% of young […]
Building Inclusive Practices
Over the past decade, Australia has seen positive improvements to inclusivity in the workplace, and health, social and community services have grown to be more welcoming of people of diverse sexuality and genders. Despite these improvements, the health sector has further steps to take in understanding the health disparities faced by the LGBTQIA+ community and […]
Increasing Hepatitis Testing by Reducing Stigma
By 2032, the World Health Organisation aims to have eradicated hepatitis C worldwide. In Australia, we are striving for eradication by 2030. Over five years ago, a direct-acting antivirals cure for hepatitis C was made available and accessible to all Australians. This new treatment has over a 95% success rate, negligible side effects, and can […]
Communicating COVID-19 to CALD Communities
Half of Western Sydney’s population was born outside of Australia, and 54% of households speak a language other than English at home. The diversity of our community is something we celebrate as a region, and we can be proud of the steps that we have taken in the primary care sector to build accessible, culturally appropriate health services. Now, as we face the […]
Changing the statistics on Aboriginal Health
Why Aboriginal health is a priority in our region Western Sydney has one of the largest urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in the nation, and improving Aboriginal health is a health priority for our region. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are nearly twice as likely as non-Indigenous Australians to commit suicide, […]
Caring for staff through COVID-19
COVID-19 has changed the way that health professionals deliver patient-centred care. Public restrictions protecting against the pandemic have challenged normal practice, and the primary care sector has never been under so much pressure. Studies from Phoenix Australia, the Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, show that health care workers across the system are feeling the […]
Improving Refugee Health in Our Community
People from refugee backgrounds and Asylum Seekers are one of the community groups that present with the poorest health outcomes. They have higher rates of chronic diseases and mental health problems than migrants due to past experiences of exposure to violations of their human rights, persecutions, exposure to civil war or traumatic scenes, deprivation as well as post-migration stressors. Environmental change and unfamiliarity with Australian healthcare services systems and procedures add more challenges to accessing […]
Tackling Childhood Obesity in Western Sydney
One in five children and adolescents are either overweight or obese. Sadly this figure is higher in Western Sydney. Western Sydney Diabetes recently hosted a forum on child and adolescent obesity with tips for health professionals on preventing, identifying, and treating childhood obesity. Alarming statistics highlighted the sensitivity of health professionals required to […]
Boosting the health of our planet and patients
The health care sector is responsible for 7% of Australia’s carbon emissions. This figure reflects the health system’s impact on the environment and the ripple effect on human health. Pollution and climate change contribute to food insecurity, the rate and scale of natural disasters, and the contamination of air, water and natural resources. These, […]
Improving Bowel Cancer Survival Rates in Western Sydney
Bowel cancer is one of the most treatable types of cancer if found early, yet it currently claims the lives of over 5,300 Australians every year. After lung cancer, bowel cancer has the second-highest mortality rate of cancers in NSW, with 36 people dying from the disease every week in our state. Despite these […]