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Tuberculosis services within Queensland

Changes have occurred within the QLD Tuberculosis services and contact details for business hours and after hours service in each regional TB control unit have changed.

The clinical services currently provided by QTBCC are being transitioned to Metro South Hospital and Health Service (HHS). The transition will take place on 1 July 2013. From this date, the clinical service will be known as the Metro South Clinical TB Service (MSCTB).

MSCTB will continue to provide clinical services to those areas that QTBCC currently covers. That is, Gold Coast, West Moreton, Metro South, Metro North, Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay HHS. Services will also continue to be provided to Cherbourg and Kingaroy.

Palliative Care Week

National Palliative Care Week is 19th – 25th May 2013 which is a reminder that palliative care is everybody's business. Palliative care is an issue that will affect all of us at some point in our lives.

URGENT PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT: MEASLES

Queensland Health has been recently notified of a confirmed case of measles in a mine worker in Moranbah.

The worker was contagious from April 25 to May 6 and had contact with mine camp colleagues and some members of the public. Many of these mine workers have now returned to their homes around the State.

The mine worker was in the dining room of Grosvenor Village camp at Moranbah for dinner, on or around Monday the 29th and Tuesday 30th April, between 6.30 and 7.30 pm.

Queensland Health has released a media alert requesting anyone who may have been exposed to the virus to ensure they are protected against measles and to seek medical advice if symptoms develop.

Measles transmission occurs readily in medical and associated settings – such as pathology collection centres. When a patient with suspected measles attends any medical facility, contacts (other patients/staff at the facility) are at risk of acquiring the infection. This has occurred several times in Queensland in the last two years. To minimise the risk of transmission within facilities:

• triage patients with fever and rash directly to a room that can be left vacant for 2 hours after consultation. Where practicable, examine cases of suspected measles at home.
• ensure all practice staff born since 1966 who could have contact with measles cases are either fully vaccinated (2 doses of MMR) or have serological evidence of measles immunity.

Management of measles in a clinical setting:

1. Check that the symptoms satisfy all of the clinical criteria:
• generalised non-itchy maculopapular rash usually beginning on the face or upper neck; and
• fever of at least 38 degrees still present at the time of rash onset; and
• cough or coryza or conjunctivitis or Koplik’s spots.

Ask if the patient has been overseas or in contact with a confirmed case in the last 3 weeks (note that lack of history of travel does not exclude measles). If the case does not satisfy the clinical criteria, or if the person has received 2 doses of MMR, measles is unlikely.

2. If the case satisfies all of the clinical criteria, do the appropriate laboratory tests. If possible, these should be done in the consulting room. If referring to a collection centre, phone ahead and warn of the possibility of measles. Mark request form as URGENT.

• 0-3 days after rash onset: urine and throat or nasopharyngeal swab for PCR
• 3-7 days after rash onset: urine and throat or nasopharyngeal swab for PCR and/or blood for IgM
• more than 7 days after rash onset: blood for IgM

3. Notify your local public health unit immediately of any case satisfying the clinical criteria. The public health unit will liaise with the testing laboratory to ensure that appropriate infection control measures are taken to avoid exposure of other clients and staff, and will advise you whether any additional measures are required in your practice e.g. vaccination of exposed staff/patients.

4. A measles fact sheet and other measles resources are available at: www.health.qld.gov.au/cdcg/index/default.asp

5. Please also consider opportunistic vaccination for any unimmunised patients attending for any reason.

Authorised by Dr S Lambert, A/Senior Director, Communicable Diseases Unit, Queensland Health

Pain Management - New Model of Care

More than 100 health professionals from across the Wide Bay will converge on Bundaberg this
weekend where they will take part in launching a new model of care for treating patients suffering chronic pain

Wide Bay scores well on child vaccination


A National Health Performance Authority report into childhood immunisation rates shows that the Wide Bay region is performing well at protecting children against the spread of preventable disease.

World Parkinson's Day

Make a difference and show your support - April 11 is World Parkinson's Day.

Medicare Locals: A health win for consumers

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association today highlighted the vital role of Medicare Locals within the Australian health system. The Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association represents Australia's largest group of health care providers in public hospitals, community and primary health sectors and advocates for universal high quality healthcare to benefit the whole community. "Medicare Locals (MLs) are an essential plank of the health reform agenda and a core component of a health system which can meet the health care challenges facing the Australian population," Ms Prue Power AM, AHHA CEO said today. "With the ageing of the population and the rising rate of chronic illness, our health system needs to focus more on providing community-based preventive and multi-disciplinary care."

WBML receives $500,000 to create healthy public places

We have been successful in obtaining a $500,000 grant to create healthy public places and environments that promote active living and increase usability of local parks and open community spaces in Bundaberg.

Diabetes - what now? Education sessions for those recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

Diabetes – What now? education sessions are for people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, or those who have not had any diabetes education. The sessions, held over two days, present practical tips and advice about ongoing management of diabetes, and are presented by a Diabetes Educator and a Dietitian.

Topics include:

• What is diabetes
• Healthy eating and physical activity
• Diabetes medications and insulin
• Blood glucose monitoring
• Setting your own health goals
• Your diabetes health care team


Hervey Bay
Dates: March 18 and 25, 9.30 am - 11.30 am
Venue: Hervey Bay Community Health Centre, The Village, 34 Torquay Road, Pialba

Maryborough
Dates: March 4 and 11, 9.30 am - 11.30 am
Venue: Maryborough Community Health Centre, 167 Neptune Street, Maryborough

To register for either location Phone 4122 8733, Monday to Friday 8.30 am- 5.00 pm

Urgent Public Health Alert

A patient in SE Qld has been diagnosed with Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) infection

Family Practice Hinkler Central now located in temporary premises

Patients of Family Practice Hinkler Central will be able to access medical services in their new temporary location on the 1st floor of the Branyan GP Super Clinic. Phone numbers will be advised as soon as they are available.

Our role in the Bundaberg floods featured on Crikey

The Wide Bay Medicare Local's role in the Bundaberg floods has received national media attention from Independent media outlet Crikey

GP & Pharmacy services back to normal

Most GP Practices and Pharmacies across Bundaberg are back up and running after the floods of this week.

PM tours flood zone - meets WBML staff member

ATSI Team member Kylie McCartney met with Prime Minister Julia Gillard as she toured the flood zone at Bundaberg

Bundaberg Floods - Open GPs/Pharmacies

List of GPs and Pharmacies that are currently open in the Bundaberg area during the flood peak.

New Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website

A new Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website has been launched today. It provides first time Mums with all the information and support they need in the one place.

Summer is heating up - be SunSmart

Don't forget to be SunSmart outside. You may even like to host a party to help make a difference to beating skin cancer.

WBML Board Appointments

At the first full Board meeting held Thursday Dec 5, the following appointments were made.

Chair Paul Neeskens
Vice Chair Michael Waters
Company Secretary Shane Dawson

Finance, Audit and Risk Committee:
Ajesh Ishri, Grant Maclean and Scott Kitchener

Governance/Constitutional Review (incl Nominations and membership) Committee:
Michael Waters, Tanya O’Shea, Paul Neeskens

CEO Performance and Remuneration Committee:
Adrian Carson and Paul Neeskens

Read the Chairman's report to first AGM of the WBML

Report from the Chairman of the Interim Board of Wide Bay Medicare Local.

National Premature Birth Awareness Week

This week Nov 24 - 30 aims to increase awareness amongst ALL pregnant women of the signs and symptoms leading to premature birth.

Spinal Injuries Awareness Week

This week (11-17 Nov) is Spinal Injuries Awareness Week, highlighting spinal cord injury in the community

World Stroke Day

1 in 6 people worldwide will have a stroke in their lifetime. Recognise the signs and act FAST

Safe Work Australia Week

Safe Work Australia Week is celebrated from 21-27 October and every workplace in Australia should be planning to use the week to make improvements to health and safety in their workplace.

Breast Cancer Day

Today, Monday 22 October, is Australia’s Breast Cancer Day - an opportunity for us to reflect on the impact of this disease and show support for women and families personally affected by breast cancer

Carers Week 2012

Carers Week is the national awareness raising week for Australia's 2.6 million carers. We want all Australians to know about carers! The campaign this year is Be Care Aware and encourages people to get to know more about unpaid family carers, who they are, what they do and how they can be supported.

Unpaid carers come from all walks of life. They provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or are frail aged.

With more than 2.6 million unpaid carers in Australia, chances are you, or someone you know, may be a carer.

Big Ideas makes new Health Gateway a reality

The Your Health Wide Bay web portal will take community health services to a new level in the region, thanks to the vision and technology smarts of local company Big Ideas. When the Medicare Local team wanted a scalable and sustainable solution to their need to develop a robust online presence, Big Ideas delivered. Based in Hervey Bay, Big Ideas is a digital web agency providing online solutions development, strategy, consulting and training.

Gary Brown, e-guru and CIO of Big Ideas said Your Health Wide Bay has been a complex but significant undertaking that will ultimately be the hub for health industry and community connection region-wide.

“We’ve worked closely with the Medicare Local team over recent months, initially conducting extensive research before developing the online strategy that would drive the entire focus for the project.”

“Using their requirements as a starting point, we’ve brought our considerable experience and insight to bear in developing a framework and model for facilitating professional networking, knowledge sharing and community engagement all in one easy-to-access forum,” he said.

The primary role of the Your Health Wide Bay portal is to act as a centre of excellence for community health and a gateway for more streamlined and efficient information sharing.  It has been designed to provide a powerful, friendly and flexible solution that will enrich the user experience.

An initial priority for the project was the need to amalgamate three existing independent sites while still maintaining their discrete identity and function.

Once fully developed the portal will give health professionals, ancillary and health-related organisations and the community access to a wealth of resources, expertise and support.

“We believe in making life on the web easier for everyone, from our clients to the end users, and we strategically select and deliver clients’ content through the medium that will best engage their target audiences,” said Gary.

“It was critical to ensure the portal offers an appealing and intuitive layout and structure purpose-designed to meet the distinct needs and priorities of both professionals and community members.”

The portal project is still in its early stages of development with plans for community interaction and a strong emphasis on social media integration to be implemented in future stages.

“Social media is a way of life and statistics prove it’s an opportunity no business, brand or community organisation can afford to ignore, making it an important element of our portal strategy,” said Gary.

“Big Ideas is presently conducting training for Your Health Wide Bay personnel to bring each of the sites to life and progress the project to its next evolutionary stage.”

Your Health Wide Bay introduces the next level of personalisation, information, community and care that empowers people to connect with health issues and information in the most relevant and accessible way possible.

Even in its early stages the project looks set to establish a benchmark for a Community Health Organisation online presence at a national level.

Health industry-related organisations and businesses that are interested in joining the site can contact admin@yourhealthwidebay.org.au for further information.

Find your local Health Professional

A Services Directory has been newly established to assist you with locating your closest Health Professional

STEPS Skills Program commencing in Bundaberg Thursday 2 August

The Bundaberg STEPS Skills Program, will commence on Thursday 2 August 2012. The Acquired Brain Injury Outreach Service is partnering with Ozcare to offer this program in Bundaberg.

The STEPS Skills Program is a program open to all adults aged 18-65 years with adult-onset (i.e. 15 years of age or older) acquired brain injury, and their families/friends.

People may have had their injury only several months ago, or several years ago. This free self management-based group program runs for 6 weeks, with a strong focus on shared learning with other people from the same local community.

The Skills To Enable People and Communities (STEPS) Program is a Queensland Health program, separate to the employment and training organisation, STEPS Employment/Disability Inc.

If you want to attend the STEPS Skills Program, please complete a Participant Referral Form and return it by Wednesday 25 July 2012.


Wide Bay Medicare Local Update

The Wide Bay Medicare Local has been established as a result of successful tender by GP Links Wide Bay and will commence operation on July 1 2012.

There will be no diminution or change of services with the operation of the new Wide Bay Medicare Local. Services such as Access to Psychological Services (ATAPS), Regional Primary Health Services (RPHS) and other general support activities will remain unchanged.

You will notice a change in answering and response to enquiries with telephone numbers, emails etc. being re-directed to the Wide Bay Medicare Local.

The new Wide Bay Medicare Local website is under construction, with new information and resources being uploaded daily. Please visit the new website via the Your Health Wide Bay portal.

The Wide Bay Medical Local has a number of key actions that the organization will be focusing on in the next few months, these include:

• Regional and sub-regional plans for After Hours Primary Care Services.
• Regional Primary Care Needs Assessment.
• Strategic and Annual Plans

GP Links Wide Bay will continue to operate in an inclusive role in supporting General Practice. GP Links Wide Bay will be expanding its current successful business in training and development under Health Industry Training www.healthindustrytraining.org.au

In addition, GP links Wide Bay will continue to support General Practitioner, Practice Nurse and Practice Manager network meetings, CPD and other support services through the GP Links Wide Bay web site. The GP Links Wide Bay Board is currently developing a range of strategic services as part of expanded service offering to General Practice.

A further, more comprehensive information document regarding the Wide Bay Medicare Local will be forwarded shortly.

Further information contact Shane Dawson CEO Wide Bay Medicare Local, phone 4151 0814, email sdawson@wbml.org.au

WIDE BAY MEDICARE LOCAL UPDATE

The Wide Bay Medicare Local has been established as a result of successful tender by GP Links Wide Bay and will commence operation on July 1 2012.

There will be no diminution or change of services with the operation of the new Wide Bay Medicare Local. Services such as Access to Psychological Services (ATAPS), Regional Primary Health Services (RPHS) and other general support activities will remain unchanged.

You will notice a change in answering and response to enquiries with telephone numbers, emails etc. being re-directed to the Wide Bay Medicare Local.

The new Wide Bay Medicare Local website is under construction, with new information and resources being uploaded daily. Please visit the new website via the Your Health Wide Bay portal.

The Wide Bay Medical Local has a number of key actions that the organization will be focusing on in the next few months, these include:

Regional and sub-regional plans for After Hours Primary Care Services.
Regional Primary Care Needs Assessment.
Strategic and Annual Plans
GP Links Wide Bay will continue to operate in an inclusive role in supporting General Practice. GP Links Wide Bay will be expanding its current successful business in training and development under Health Industry Training www.healthindustrytraining.org.au

In addition, GP links Wide Bay will continue to support General Practitioner, Practice Nurse and Practice Manager network meetings, CPD and other support services through the GP Links Wide Bay web site. The GP Links Wide Bay Board is currently developing a range of strategic services as part of expanded service offering to General Practice.

A further, more comprehensive information document regarding the Wide Bay Medicare Local will be forwarded shortly.

Further information contact Shane Dawson CEO Wide Bay Medicare Local, phone 4151 0814, email sdawson@wbml.org.au

Wide Bay Medicare Local update

WIDE BAY MEDICARE LOCAL UPDATE

The Wide Bay Medicare Local has been established as a result of successful tender by GP Links Wide Bay and will commence operation on July 1 2012.
There will be no diminution or change of services with the operation of the new Wide Bay Medicare Local. Services such as Access to Psychological Services (ATAPS), Regional Primary Health Services (RPHS) and other general support activities will remain unchanged.
You will notice a change in answering and response to enquiries with telephone numbers, emails etc. being re-directed to the Wide Bay Medicare Local.

The new Wide Bay Medicare Local website is under construction, with new information and resources being uploaded daily. Please visit the new website via the Your Health Wide Bay portal.

The Wide Bay Medical Local has a number of key actions that the organization will be focusing on in the next few months, these include:
• Regional and sub-regional plans for After Hours Primary Care Services.
• Regional Primary Care Needs Assessment.
• Strategic and Annual Plans

GP Links Wide Bay will continue to operate in an inclusive role in supporting General Practice. GP Links Wide Bay will be expanding its current successful business in training and development under Health Industry Training www.healthindustrytraining.org.au
In addition, GP links Wide Bay will continue to support General Practitioner, Practice Nurse and Practice Manager network meetings, CPD and other support services through the GP Links Wide Bay web site. The GP Links Wide Bay Board is currently developing a range of strategic services as part of expanded service offering to General Practice.
A further, more comprehensive information document regarding the Wide Bay Medicare Local will be forwarded shortly.
Further information contact Shane Dawson CEO Wide Bay Medicare Local, phone 4151 0814, email sdawson@wbml.org.au

Wide Bay Medicare Local update

WIDE BAY MEDICARE LOCAL UPDATE

The Wide Bay Medicare Local has been established as a result of successful tender by GP Links Wide Bay and will commence operation on July 1 2012.
There will be no diminution or change of services with the operation of the new Wide Bay Medicare Local. Services such as Access to Psychological Services (ATAPS), Regional Primary Health Services (RPHS) and other general support activities will remain unchanged.
You will notice a change in answering and response to enquiries with telephone numbers, emails etc. being re-directed to the Wide Bay Medicare Local.

The new Wide Bay Medicare Local website is under construction, with new information and resources being uploaded daily. Please visit the new website via the Your Health Wide Bay portal.

The Wide Bay Medical Local has a number of key actions that the organization will be focusing on in the next few months, these include:
• Regional and sub-regional plans for After Hours Primary Care Services.
• Regional Primary Care Needs Assessment.
• Strategic and Annual Plans

GP Links Wide Bay will continue to operate in an inclusive role in supporting General Practice. GP Links Wide Bay will be expanding its current successful business in training and development under Health Industry Training www.healthindustrytraining.org.au
In addition, GP links Wide Bay will continue to support General Practitioner, Practice Nurse and Practice Manager network meetings, CPD and other support services through the GP Links Wide Bay web site. The GP Links Wide Bay Board is currently developing a range of strategic services as part of expanded service offering to General Practice.
A further, more comprehensive information document regarding the Wide Bay Medicare Local will be forwarded shortly.
Further information contact Shane Dawson CEO Wide Bay Medicare Local, phone 4151 0814, email sdawson@wbml.org.au

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