Health & Wellbeing
All Victorians should have the opportunity to live in supportive environments that will promote their health and improve wellbeing.
Key actions and partners
Neighbourhood Renewal is working with residents and a broad range of partners to reduce health inequalities across the State. Neighbourhood Renewal's partners include: non-government organisations and community groups; government agencies; schools; recreation clubs; and commercial businesses.
Local service providers work closely with communities to improve local service delivery and develop health promotion strategies that are responsive to local needs.
Key achievements
Neighbourhood Renewal's work in the area of health and wellbeing is guided by the State Government's health promotion priorities (2007–12). These were developed by VicHealth in partnership with Rural and Regional Health and Aged Care Services.To improve health and reduce health inequalities, Neighbourhood Renewal is focusing on the following seven priority areas:
- Promoting physical activity and active communities
- Promoting accessible and nutritious food
- Promoting mental health and wellbeing
- Reducing tobacco-related harm
- Reducing and minimising harm from alcohol and other drugs
- Safe environments to prevent unintentional injury
- Sexual and reproductive health
Promoting physical activity and active communities
The Sustainable Physical Activity in Neighbourhoods (SPAN) projectsImproving the health and wellbeing of Neighbourhood Renewal residents and strengthening their communities.
SPAN projects are underway in Corio-Norlane, Latrobe, Seymour and Wendouree West.
SPAN project descriptions are available at the Go for your life website:
Sustainable Physical Activity in Neighbourhood Renewal
Well for Life projects
Helping older public housing residents improve their nutrition and become more involved in their communities, through participation in physical activity. Well for Life projects are currently operating in Broadmeadows, Collingwood, Fitzroy, and Heidelberg West.
Information on Well for Life projects is available at the Health Government website:
Well for Life projects
Walking School Bus Program
The Walking School Bus Program is a VicHealth initiative that's making a big difference to the health and wellbeing of kids and families across Victoria.
A Walking School Bus is a school bus powered by legs. Kids walk in a group with an adult 'driver' at the front and an adult 'conductor' at the back. Walking School Buses are operating across a number of Neighbourhood Renewal areas.
The buses are encouraging young people to be active and they are also improving school attendance rates. At the Churchill Primary School in Latrobe, absenteeism dropped dramatically following the introduction of the program. The buses are also connecting communities. In some areas, families that have lived in the same street for years but had never met, have now become friends.
Just like regular buses, Walking School Buses operate every day – rain, hail or shine!
More information can be found on this program on the VicHealth website:
Walking School Bus Program
Be Active Eat Well Project
In Colac, Neighbourhood Renewal has joined with children, parents, schools, local businesses, sports clubs and Geelong's Deakin University to develop the Be Active Eat Well project. Local kids are getting active through a range of school-based and extra-curricular programs and they are also learning excellent dietary habits from a young age. Nearly 120 children have signed with local sports clubs as a direct result of their involvement in the Be Active Eat Well program.
More information is available at the VicHealth website:
Be Active Eat Well Project
Promoting accessible and nutritious food
Community gardens are a place for people to come together to grow vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. The gardens help to build the community by providing a social focus and they also offer residents access to healthy food.
Community Gardens have been established in four Neighbourhood Renewal areas: Collingwood; Fitzroy; Braybrook and Maidstone; and Long Gully. Neighbourhood Renewal is working with local communities to develop a new community garden in Heidelberg West and another in Seymour.
At the Atherton Gardens high-rise in Fitzroy, a fruit and vegetable market operates every week. The market provides residents with the opportunity to buy healthy food at a reasonable price.
Breakfast clubs are operating in schools across several Neighbourhood Renewal areas. In Corio Norlane the Rosewell Breakfast Club is staffed by volunteers and caters for around 60 kids five mornings a week. Breakfast Clubs are improving nutrition, enhancing children's capacity to learn and reducing truancy rates.
Promoting mental health and wellbeing
Neighbourhood Renewal is promoting mental health and wellbeing in 19 areas across Victoria. Neighbourhood Renewal is improving access to mental health services and programs and supporting initiatives that increase community participation and connectedness. These initiatives include: festivals; celebrations; community events; arts and culture projects; self-help groups; community education and training; and the development of inclusive public spaces like parks and community hubs.
The mental health plan includes initiatives that:
- Increase broader community understanding of the determinants of mental health and the importance of maintaining good mental health;
- Improve residents' access to community health and welfare services; and
- Increase residents' capacity to use services and manage their own health and welfare.
Reducing tobacco-related harm
In Wendouree West, Neighbourhood Renewal is working with Quit Victoria to prevent the illness and suffering caused by tobacco.
Quit is a joint initiative of The Cancer Council Victoria, VicHealth, Department of Human Services and the National Heart Foundation.
More information is available at:
http://www.quit.org.au/
Reducing and minimising harm from alcohol and other drugs
Neighbourhood Renewal is working with a range of agencies to ensure residents have access to drug and alcohol prevention, early intervention and treatment services.In Seymour, a Drug and Alcohol worker is working at the Neighbourhood Renewal Community Hub one day each week. The worker provides residents with information and helps with drug and alcohol related issues.
More drug and alcohol information is available at:
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/drugs/
Safe environments to prevent unintentional injury
In Corio Norlane, Neighbourhood Renewal is promoting the SAIL Project, a health promotion project focusing on falls prevention for older people. The Project aims to improve the health, wellbeing and mobility of older people so that they continue to live in their own homes with greater confidence, independence and security.More information on the health and well being of older Victorians is available at:
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/agedcare/maintaining/index.htm
Sexual and reproductive health
In Colac, Neighbourhood Renewal worked with Paps Screen Victoria and Colac Area Health on the 'Paps it's OK' peer education model.The program invited Neighbourhood Renewal residents to attend general education sessions, art workshops and peer education sessions. It increased the rates of pap screening in Colac by 10%.
Residents now meet with a community health nurse to undertake peer education sessions about a range of women's health issues.
Contacts
For more information on Neighbourhood Renewal's Health and Wellbeing strategies, please contact:Susan McDowell
Project Manager Health & Safety
Telephone: 9096 9730
Email: Susan.Mcdowell@dhs.vic.gov.au
Attachments
GuidelinesThe Health and Wellbeing Guidelines
Supporting Neighbourhood Renewal staff, residents and key stakeholders plan effective solutions to address identified health and wellbeing issues.
Links
More information about the State Government's health promotion priorities is available at:http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthpromotion/index.htm
