January 2022
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Volunteers staying connected
Our amazing volunteers play an important role at Northern Health. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our volunteers would roam the hospital halls with a friendly smile and cheer, ready to assist. But the hospital halls have been noticeably quiet, with onsite volunteer activity scaled back due to the COVID Peak status of our health service. Our volunteer program during the pandemic evolved from a focus on volunteers providing support to the health service, to one where the health service provided ongoing support to our volunteers, to help them stay connected to Northern Health while at home. The How-R-U telephone social…
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Joe Rotella awarded Associate Professor title
Christmas came early for Toxicologist and Emergency Physician, Dr Joe Rotella, after receiving news that he had been awarded the title of Associate Professor (Clinical) from the Department of Critical Care at the University of Melbourne’s Medical School. Associate Professor Rotella is one of a handful of Emergency Physicians to receive this accolade and the first for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Northern Health. “A worthy recipient of University of Melbourne recognition!” said Wanda Stelmach, Chief Medical Officer. “Joe, who I am proud to say was my intern, has been instrumental in setting up and supporting the Toxicology service…
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Welcome Junior Doctors 2022!
This week, 50 enthusiastic junior doctors commenced their internship orientation virtually. Dr Carol Chong, Supervisor of Interns, said the Omicron variant made things unpredictable for the Medical Education Unit. “Our aim was to ensure the safest and best experience for the new interns. Half of the intern cohort are from the Northern Clinical School and are familiar with the hospital and the other half of the cohort is a mixture of Monash, Deakin, interstate and overseas interns,” she explained. One of them is Joshua Lendon, who moved from Geelong into Melbourne’s north for this opportunity. He is now looking forward…
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Celebrating 40 years of service
Last month, Northern Health held the Length of Service Awards for 2021, where more than 400 staff were celebrated for achieving between 10 and 45 years of dedicated service. Eight award recipients celebrated 40 and 45 years of service. The 40 year award recipients included Anne Roast, Sharon Robinson, Ann Maffei, Glenda Levens, Stefan Herodotou and Helen Opasinis. Sharon Robinson, said, “For the past 22 years, I have worked at Broadmeadows Hospital in different roles and in one place. Broadmeadows Hospital is a very friendly place and this friendliness and compassion from all members of the various teams who work there…
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ISS Concierge team at PRACC wins award
The ISS Concierge Team at our Vaccination Clinic at Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre (PRACC) has received an ISS Apple Award. Apple Awards are client-nominated and recognise our placemakers who demonstrate the ISS values and deliver customer service excellence across ISS chosen sectors. Hayley Gray, Nurse Unit Manager COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic, nominated the team for the award, acknowledging their great customer service skills and ability to adapt in a fast changing environment. “On behalf of the Northern Health Vaccination Clinic, I nominate the incredible concierge team at PRACC for an Apple Award. Thank you for always performing over and…
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Wei Qi Fan wins MD3 Teacher of the Year
Associate Professor Wei Qi Fan, has been awarded Medical Doctor Year 3 (MD3) Teacher of the Year. Wei Qi has been working at Northern Hospital Epping as a consultant paediatrician and neonatologist since 2004. She is the Head of Neonatal Unit and is currently a member of the State Neonatal Advisory Group and the Maternal and Newborn Leadership Group. She is also an Associate Professor in paediatrics at the University of Melbourne – Paediatric Academic Lead/Course Coordinator at University of Melbourne Northern Clinical School. Wei Qi has been awarded the Teacher of the Year award eight of the last nine…
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Kid’s vaccination begins today
From today, our vaccination centre at Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre (PRACC) at 35 Ferres Blvd, South Morang is open for children aged 5 to 11 years old. The children’s vaccination clinic at PRACC is a dedicated child-friendly space with entertainment and activities to make the process less stressful for children. Lucy is 9 years old, and was one of the first to queue up this morning for her vaccine.  She is looking forward to starting Year 4 at school with her classmates. She understands that there might be delays, but after two big years she is keen to…
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Message from the Chief Executive
Dear all, Northern Health is preparing for one of the greatest challenges we’ve faced in this pandemic – the growing demand for care at a time when our available workforce is decreasing due to the impacts of COVID-19. Even though Omicron is a milder variant, the projected hospitalisations for COVID cases in Victoria are expected to continue to grow and peak around the end of January 2022. This is a similar trajectory already being demonstrated by New South Wales. This week here at Northern Health, we have experienced approximately eight per cent of our workforce have either been confirmed COVID…