Regional Updates
In 2015, GICS, the Department of Health and Deakin University collaborated on the Ophelia Project to understand health literacy needs across the Grampians region in an effort to identify opportunities for quality improvement through the development of local cancer plans. This resulted in a project that sought to explore the feasibility of providing a regular skin cancer screening and follow up service people living in the west Wimmera;
A place based, community-driven, nurse-led skin cancer care model in rural Victoria
This project is to be presented at the upcoming 16th National Rural Health Conference, 2 - 4 August 2022 in Brisbane, QLD by Dr Kristen Glenister, a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne, Dept. of Rural Health, who is based in Wangaratta.
The project is based on rural residents who face high rates of skin cancers and barriers to skin cancer care, including geographical distance, extended waiting times for service access and higher financial burdens. These issues can contribute to late diagnosis and poorer outcomes among rural patients.
A convergence of high consumer demand for skin cancer screening, long-term health, workforce shortages and a group of passionate individuals led to a place-based, nurse-led, skin cancer care initiative in rural western Victoria; the Wimmera, located in the Grampians region. This study was undertaken to describe the elements of the initiative and map changes of time, from start-up to implementation and service delivery over three years, using a program logic model.
To find out more about this presentation, including the methods and findings, please visit the conference website to view the listing of concurrent presenters, and search for Dr Kristen Glenister, to view the project abstract in full.
Grampians Health Staff are now CCV Cancer Education Program Facilitators
Cancer Wellness and Exercise programs aim to increase a patient’s ability to take charge of their own health and wellbeing. The program gives participating cancer patients access to eight weeks of group education and exercise led by trained facilitators.
There are now an additional nine health professionals from Grampians Health, working at Stawell & Horsham, who are now trained as Cancer Council Victoria (CCV) Program Facilitators. This will enable the 8 week Cancer and Wellness Program to provide greater access for those Wimmera residents affected by cancer.
Staff who participated in this training (pictured below) are representative of a number of allied health services including social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology and dietetics, and they will expand the involvement of allied health in survivorship care. This adds more diversity and knowledge within the program.
The participants shared two days of training, facilitated by Jane Auchettl from CCV, at the Wimmera Cancer Centre. |
