March 2022
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Harmony Week: Everyone belongs
Harmony Week celebrates Australia’s diverse multiculturalism, and recognises inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background. Harmony Week is celebrated during the week that incorporates 21 March – Harmony Day – which is the United Nations International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Nearly half of all Australians were born overseas, or have at least one parent who was. Since 1945, 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia, with each culture and tradition enriching our nation. Here at Northern Health, our patients are born in 223 countries and speak 109 different languages. Our Transcultural and…
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Big Idea: Simulating together for safety
Another innovative ‘Big Idea’ 2021 is becoming a reality, and will change the way we train together. Elise Sutton, Resuscitation and Clinical Deterioration Coordinator, said it’s all about training as a multi-disciplinary team on basic and advanced life support. “Often, when we train staff, we train them in silos – medical train together, nursing together and similar. Or we train according to skill level,” she explains. While the usual training sessions are for separate disciplines, practice and day to day work is actually different – as allied health, nursing, medical, basic and advanced life support all work together with a…
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National Close the Gap Day: Transforming Power
The incidence of cervical cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women is more than twice that of non-indigenous women. Mortality is nearly four times the non-indigenous rate. Participation in Breast Screen programs is half that for non-indigenous women.* National Close the Gap Day is observed on the third Thursday of March and advocates for health equity of Australia’s indigenous people and educating the public about the health issues and barriers to well-being faced by them. The Close the Gap campaign is aimed at improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, whose life expectancy is 10–17…
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Documenting patient height and weight in the EMR
Did you know… We currently document a patient’s weight multiple times in a range of different places during their admission. However, when the EMR goes live next year, measured weight will be documented just once and can be viewed centrally by all clinicians treating the patient. The EMR team recently completed close to 65 workshops for staff. The team is extremely grateful for the close involvement of all our Subject Matter Experts and Accountable Leaders, without whom the workshops would not be possible. You may be wondering what actually happens in one of these EMR workshops and, while each workshop is…
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Celebrating World Social Work Day
Today, we celebrate our wonderful social workers, and the vital work they provide to the community. The day provides the opportunity for all socials workers to reflect on their work and come together and celebrate their amazing achievements. Penelope Vye, Associate Director Allied Health, says this year’s theme – ‘Co-building a New Eco-Social World: Leaving No One Behind’ reminds us we all need to take part in building a world in which our abilities, gender, faiths and rights are protected and we are safe. “The pandemic has greatly impacted upon our lives and wellbeing. Patients and families are experiencing increased…
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Painting the north
Five paintings have been gifted to Northern Health and are now on display on the walls at Bundoora Centre. The paintings showcase local northern landscapes, and are the work of Maria Monzon-White, who was a patient at Bundoora Centre during the last years of her life. Maria’s husband, Ronald White, who passed away in 2020, left the paintings as a bequest in will to be displayed for all staff. Paloma White, Maria and Ronald’s daughter, said her mother had always loved painting from an early age. However, she tried to pursue a different career at first. “She started a law…
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Professor John Prins to speak at Research Week 2022
This year too sees Research Week return as a virtual event from 28 to 31 March. Research Week at Northern Health annually showcases a range of local and innovative research projects and presentations from research leaders around the world. “We are privileged to have an exciting range of speakers at this year’s Research Week to explore national and global health challenges,” says Faye Zaibak, Director of Research Operations. “We also have our own home-grown talent, showcasing how Northern Health is meeting our community needs and bringing research into practice,” she adds. The ‘must see’ events, start with our guest speaker…
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One year anniversary of vaccination program
Today, Northern Health marks one year of our vaccination program. Over the last year, we have seen many changes to our COVID response as we had to adapt quickly to the ever-evolving situation. We initially started our vaccination rollout at Northern Hospital Epping, when healthcare workers were prioritised to receive their shots. In June 2021, Northern Health commenced operating a mass vaccination hub at the Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre (PRACC) in South Morang, in collaboration with City of Whittlesea, to assist in vaccinating as many community members as possible. Early this year, we also opened our paediatric vaccination…