Booking system offline – we’re working on fixing it and ask for patience
UPDATE WEDNESDAY: Our system is fixed and we’re now getting stuck into following up outstanding bookings. Thanks for your patience and support.
TUESDAY: Huge apologies but we’re having some real issues with our booking system today.
It’s just not playing the game and we can’t make any appointments for the moment.
Our Client Services staff are doing a great job taking names and numbers and as soon as the system is back up and running we will contact everyone to book you in.
Can we please just ask for some patience.
We totally understand this is an inconvenience but getting angry with our staff isn’t going to make this process happen any quicker.
They’re doing the best they can and we are very grateful to them for that. #kindnessmatters
Mental health Royal Commission response welcomed – now the hard work begins to fix the system
We welcome the statement from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledging our mental health system needs urgent fixing and accepting all 65 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Mental Health final report released today.
Now the work begins to restore faith in our system and ensure what’s put in place provides help and support to all those who need it.
Perhaps the most important line in the statement from Premier Andrews clearly outlines why this work is vital … lives are depending on it.
We wrote in our official submission to the Royal Commission into Mental Health that this presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Victoria.
We must take that opportunity now.
OFFICIAL SUBMISSION: To read the Bendigo Community Health Services submission to the Royal Commission into Mental Health click here
Official statement from the Premier of Victoria …
Mental health impacts all of us.
If it’s not our own direct experience, it’s people we know – people we love. And when someone we love is in pain, we suffer with them.
It’s mums overwhelmed, exhausted, and denied the joy of those precious early years in their child’s life.
It’s older blokes too – those who keep it in, bottle it up, until it’s too late.
It’s workers – our colleagues and workmates – struggling with the escalating pressures of work, life, money, family.
And heartbreakingly, it’s our kids. Parents who have tried and tried to get the right help for their child, only to be ignored or told to ‘hang on’ because the services just aren’t there.
It’s husbands, wives, mums, dads, children, neighbours and friends. It’s all of us.
And yet the truth is, that suffering just isn’t being taken seriously enough. People are either ‘not sick enough’ for help, or ‘too sick’ to treat outside a hospital.
These big gaps in the system mean that people are falling between the cracks.
Bendigo immunisation training gets our community health nurses ready for flu and COVID vaccinations
Immunisation is the ‘buzz’ word at the moment.
Our community health nurses are going to get very busy with the Coronavirus vaccine program underway in Australia and the flu season just around the corner.
Given your health and wellbeing is our main priority all our nurses carry out Managing Immunisation Emergencies and Immunisation CPR training from Premium Health each year.
Thankfully, incidents are rare these days but it’s important that where there’s any risk we’re prepared and that’s why we do the training.
Bendigo Health and Inglewood and Districts Health Service nurses also did the training session at our kidzspace hub in Kangaroo Flat.
If you are a business owner wanting to protect your staff from the flu this winter our nurses are taking flu vaccination bookings. To learn more click here
We have been approved to deliver COVID vaccines but bookings are not open yet. We’ll let you know when they open via our blog click here
Last updated: February 26, 2021
Bendigo ice addiction: A son’s journey and a mother’s story of anguish, pain and hope
Today is International Family Drug Support Day – let’s talk.
Our Alcohol and Other Drugs team doesn’t just support those battling addiction. We support their families.
Family are the ones who quite often get blindsided by the drug use and have no support or knowledge of how to cope.
Our Family Drug Support Group brings people together to share experiences and support each other.
We talk about the need to care for yourself as well as others.
And we work hard to get rid of the stigma around drug use which is unfair, unjust and does nothing to help those facing traumatic circumstances in their family life.
So, how does drug use impact on a family?
We are so grateful to a Bendigo mother who has allowed us to reproduce extracts from her diary to give you a raw and heartfelt insight into life with sons hooked on ice.
We publish this today to show you not only the impact of drug use on a family but also what can happen when a family reaches out for support and help.
If this story is similar to yours … please reach out.
Friday, June 12, 2020
Who can I tell my story to?
My biggest wish in life is coming true.
My son is coming off ice.
Where to start?
I have three sons.
Oldest son has used ice, but is now clean for few years now.
I don’t really know his ice story. I was not aware at the time of his using, or his coming off. I know he suffered greatly from depression at the time too, and that his boss helped him overcome the ice addiction but I don’t know much more than that. I’d like to ask him some time to tell me his story.
My youngest son was heavily into ice which led to him getting into a lot of criminal trouble, ending up in gaol for two years, with another parole time of just one year. He has recently just finished the parole and is now a ‘free’ man. I will come back to his story later.
What I really want to tell you about is so wonderful.
I am so happy, proud, excited, pleased, and so – I don’t think there is a word that really suits.
How can I be proud that my drug-addicted son is coming off? Well, I am.
This is my middle son. Leigh* says he has been using ice for 10-15 years. So long ago, that when he started it was a new drug, he did not know anything about it, the tremendous hold it has over people, the incredible immediate addictiveness of it.
There is so much to tell of the past many years of using and the widespread damage it causes to himself and everyone around him, and every aspect of our lives.
But getting back to what I really want to tell you – Leigh* stopped using 25 days ago.
Yes, I am counting and so is he.
I can only tell you my side of the story as I see it and understand it. But understanding anything to do with drug use is, well, impossible. Why Leigh* started, what made him stop when he did, what made him stop at all, will be use again. So many questions, so many mixed emotions.
Humbled and excited to win 2021 Australian Migration and Settlement Award
MEDIA RELEASE: BCHS wins 2021 Australian Migration and Settlement Award. Click here
We are truly humbled but very excited to win the SETS Settlement Innovation category of the 2021 Australian Migration and Settlement Awards tonight.
Our aim in launching the Coronavirus Refugee Resource Hub back in March was to make sure our communities had access to simple and clear messaging that would allow them to understand the Coronavirus situation and keep safe.
The more we consulted with the community as the months rolled on the more we learned about real needs and made sure we addressed those with initiatives such as the free Coronavirus Telephone Hotline to answer the many questions directly.
We also worked with partners who experienced outbreaks to ensure staff understood close contact and quarantine needs and then valued partners like Bendigo Health to make the testing process easier.
It’s encouraging to hear our resources made a difference for communities not just in Greater Bendigo but in areas further afield such as the Wimmera in Victoria and even around the world as families shared them with concerned friends and loved ones.
We are also proud of a campaign to address Coronavirus-related racism concerns by teaming up with Victoria Police and Believe in Bendigo to make a video raising awareness on the need to report such behaviour and encouraging the community to call out these incidents.
The commitment and growth of our Settlement Services staff during this period has been inspiring and this is wonderful recognition for their work.
A big shout out to our very own Zahir who was a finalist in the Case Worker of the Year category tonight for his wonderful work with the Afghan community.
Thank you to the Migration Council of Australia for recognising the great work being done by organisations across Australia.
We truly hope everyone in the sector never forgets the value of this wonderful work. It’s life changing.
To see our award-winning Coronavirus Refugee Resource Hub use this link: https://bit.ly/CoronavirusRefugees
We’ve joined the Raise The Rate campaign because no child should experience poverty
We have joined with 31 other child and family service sector organisations across Victoria to call on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to permanently Raise The Rate of social security payments to a level above the poverty line.
Providing adequate support is essential to giving children a start in life they all deserve.
Before Coronavirus around 774,000 children aged under 15 were living in poverty with around 19,400 aged up to 14 actually homeless.
Poverty can have a lasting impact on a child’s development with real risks around access to food, housing, life opportunities and social interaction.
Children in poverty need the support of services such as ours just to get by in life and that’s not fair.
Social security payments aren’t the only answer but they can deliver a means for families to provide for their children and with that comes hope and opportunity.
The Raise The Rate campaign reflects our values and our charter to support and care for disadvantaged people in our community.
To read the full letter sent to Prime Minister Scott Morrison MP and see all the organisations who have signed their support click here
To learn more about the child and family services we deliver to care for the community click here
Last updated: February 23, 2021
Bendigo Community Health Services to deliver essential services during Victorian lockdown
Regional Victoria was put back into COVID-19 lockdown at 1pm today (August 21, 2021).
Bendigo Community Health Services will operate as an ‘essential service’ through this lockdown period.
We are offering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for people aged 40 to 59, frontline workers or from eligible community groups. To book an appointment call 5406 1200 or visit our online booking system to see available appointments click here
If you have a face-to-face appointment for our medical practice, Women’s Health Clinic, Men’s Health Clinic or Sexual Health Clinic this will go ahead but could change to Telehealth due to the lockdown conditions on our staff.
If you have an appointment with BCHS you will get a call from one of our staff if this is changing to Telehealth. If you don’t hear from us or have any questions please call 5406 1200 during business hours.
Our Nova House, pharmacotherapy and Needle Syringe Program will operate as normal.
Our HeadtoHelp Hub will offer only phone and online support until the lockdown has finished. Appointments should still be made by calling 1800 595 212.
headspace Bendigo will operate on a reduced service. Please call 5406 1400 if you have any questions.
All Bendigo Community Health Services sites follow strict Coronavirus precautions for the safety of our clients and staff.
We ask for you help in allowing us to keep a safe environment by when you visit one of our sites wearing a mask, sanitising your hands, scanning the QR code when you arrive and do the screening questions with one of our Client Services staff. This all takes a bit of time we know so we ask for patience and support when dealing with our staff.
Please call our Client Services staff on 5406 1200 during business hours if you have any questions.
We ask for your support and patience as all clients and visitors to our sites will need to wear a mask unless you have a medical exemption and provide contact tracing information.
For the latest information on Coronavirus and Victorian restrictions please only use reliable sources such as the DHHS website click here
If you have any symptoms please get tested.
Together we can #StopTheSpread
Last updated: August 21, 2021
Bendigo Heywire winner Paw Ku Htee tells her inspiring life journey from refugee camp to youth leader
Wonderful recognition for Paw Ku Htee.
A worthy Heywire winner for a personal story that follows a journey from a refugee camp to life in Bendigo as a young community leader, City of Greater Bendigo Youth Council member and making a significant difference through her work as a trainee with Bendigo Community Health Services.
We are so proud of Paw Ku Htee.
And the wonderful part is there’s so much more to come from this inspiring young woman.
We look forward to watching her journey continue. Well done Paw Ku Htee.
To watch Paw Ku Htee tell her amazing Heywire story click here
The ABC Heywire competition is an annual event that recognises and tells the stories of inspiring young people around Australia.
Gambling dangers and addiction the focus of new awareness campaign for the Karen community
Gambling can become an issue for some people.
Raising awareness about the dangers of gambling, how this can impact on families and most importantly where to turn for help is so important.
A great partnership with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation has allowed us to create an indepth Gambling Awareness campaign in Karen language to help raise awareness within refugee communities.
The campaign includes a Gambling Awareness information booklet and series of videos translated in the Karen language.
The awareness series covers:
- The different types of gambling
- How gambling can become addictive
- How this will impact on family and friends
- When to realise you have a gambling problem
- Where to turn for help if you have a gambling issue.
The Gambling Awareness campaign also features an example of a personal story on how gambling impacted on one Karen family and uses wonderful hand-drawn illustrations created especially for the series by Bendigo-based Karen artist Nay Ta Gay.
To download and print out the Gambling Awareness information booklet in Karen language click here
Click on the ‘read more’ button below to watch the videos from the Gambling Awareness Campaign in Karen language.
Safer Internet Day 2021: It’s time to start the conversation to protect you and the children
It’s Safer Internet Day.
Yep, the internet has changed the world we live in.
Easy access to endless information, home shopping, latest news, entertainment of all kinds and staying in touch with family or friends.
Wonderful possibilities at the click of a button.
But sadly the internet has also given those who want to prey on others new ways of stealing your information, bullying or harassing and even grooming.
Now more than ever it’s important that you know how to keep yourself and your family safe when using the Internet.
Our great Health Promotion team has put together a three-part video series to give you some helpful tips.
Click on the ‘read more’ button below to watch the videos.
