BCHS to highlight pain points of local women and girls
Bendigo Community Health Services has welcomed the State Government’s inquiry into women’s pain.
BCHS will contribute a submission to the inquiry, which seeks to address the challenges girls and women face when seeking care for pain, and ultimately improve models of care and service delivery.
As a provider of health care to the community for 50 years, and a dedicated Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic, BCHS is at the frontline of what women and girls face, day-by-day.
BCHS to highlight pain points of local women and girls
Bendigo Community Health Services has welcomed the State Government’s inquiry into women’s pain, announced this week.
BCHS will contribute a submission to the inquiry, which seeks to address the challenges girls and women face when seeking care for pain, and ultimately improve models of care and service delivery.
As a provider of health care to the community for 50 years, and a dedicated sexual and reproductive health hub, BCHS is at the frontline of what women and girls face, day-by-day.
Support is here for those with endometriosis symptoms
Bendigo Community Health Services now features one of Australia’s first endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics.
Thanks to dedicated Federal Government funding, BCHS has established a specialist team of health professionals to provide early access to care and treatment for those with endometriosis symptoms.
The condition affects at least one in nine Australian women and can have significant impacts on their lives.
Dr Karishma Kaur said BCHS recognises endometriosis and pelvic pain can be debilitating and complex.
BCHS supports pill testing at festivals in 2024 and beyond
Bendigo Community Health Services is calling for a Victorian drug checking service, following the overdoses at the Hardmission music festival.
BCHS Executive Leader Wellbeing, Inclusion and Independence, Dale Hardy, said with many more high profile music festivals planned for the state, now was the time to prepare to protect festival goers from potentially harmful substances.
BCHS brings nationally-known smalltalk playgroups to Bendigo and Heathcote
Bendigo Community Health Services is expanding its smalltalk program in 2024 to include free weekly supported playgroup sessions in Heathcote, Long Gully, Eaglehawk, Ironbark and Kangaroo Flat.
smalltalk is a national program developed by the Parenting Research Centre which promotes strategies to enhance learning at home for children from birth to school age.
Early childhood educator and group facilitator Tiffany Holschier said strategies covered in the playgroup sessions included being warm and gentle, tuning in with children, reading together and engaging children in interesting and stimulating activities, often using readily available recources.
BCHS welcomes regional health advocate, Mandy Hutchinson, as new Chief Executive Officer
Bendigo Community Health Services has begun its 50th year in the city with a new Chief Executive Officer.
The health service this week welcomed Mandy Hutchinson to lead its 270-plus staff into the next era of caring for local people’s health and wellbeing.
Mandy was most recently CEO of Northern District Community Health, which services the communities around the Kerang region of Victoria.
Prior to that six-year appointment Mandy was the Gannawarra Shire Council’s first Director Community Wellbeing.
BCHS encourages people who vape to reach for support now
Bendigo Community Health Services is encouraging the community to access support services in the wake of new vaping reforms.
As of January 1, 2024, the importation of all disposable vapes, or e-cigarettes, has been banned.
When existing stock has been depleted, the only way for community members to purchase reusable vapes for therapeutic use (such as quitting cigarettes) will be from a pharmacist, after gaining a doctor’s prescription.
Senior Health Promotion Officer Siobhan Sullivan said the legislation change is likely to have a significant impact on people who have taken up recreational vaping.
New project supports former refugees to continue fishing
Bendigo Community Health Services has partnered with the Victorian Fisheries Authority to foster safe and sustainable fishing practices for newly-arrived Karen people.
The 12-month pilot program will help Karen people understand Victoria’s fishing regulations and raise awareness amongst Fisheries staff about the pre-and-post arrival experiences of former refugees from the Thai-Burma border.
BCHS Refugee Project Worker Nido said fishing was an important cultural practice for Karen people, who traditionally fished for survival rather than recreation.
“In Australia, we have rules around fishing, so Karen people need to know about these rules, such as the need for a fishing licence, the type of fish that can be caught and in which season, plus the sizes and bag limits that can be kept,” Nido said.
BCHS ensures multicultural communities can plan for and respond to extreme weather emergencies
Bendigo Community Health Services is equipping former refugee communities with the knowledge to survive Australia’s extreme weather events.
With a dangerous summer predicted, BCHS is distributing in-language resources to multicultural groups across the region.
Cultural Diversity leader Kaye Graves said BCHS’ Emergency Preparedness Program was essential for preparing new arrivals for potential disasters. 
“People who are new to our region are really worried about fire, heat and flood events,” Kaye said.
Building for the health and wellbeing needs of Eaglehawk
Bendigo Community Health Services has started the refurbishment of its Eaglehawk site, with local builders Franklin & Walsh appointed to deliver the works from December, 2023.
This follows extensive design consultations with EBD Architects and a community engagement program, in which residents of the 3556 postcode shared their views on the health service, and ideas on what would make it easier for them to care for their health and wellbeing.
BCHS started in Eaglehawk in 1974, after residents recognised their health was poor and health services were inadequate.
Encouraged by the social reforms of the Whitlam era, the community lobbied for free and accessible health services at a time when there were no GPs or dentists in the suburb and when people were sicker than elsewhere in Bendigo.
Interim CEO Nicole Ferrie said BCHS was still a community-owned asset, which acknowledges and celebrates its hard-won beginnings in Eaglehawk.
