Ambitious four-year health action plan

An action plan that aims to promote public health and wellbeing in the shire has been adopted by Baw Baw Shire.

After extensive consultation with the community and stakeholders, the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan was adopted by council last month and sets out an action plan for the next four years.

Council will immediately embark on year one of the action plan which directs council to guide, protect, improve and promote public health and wellbeing in the community.

All councils are required to prepare a Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan every four years.

The plan provides direction on priority health and wellbeing focus areas for council and public health sector organisations within the municipality, to improve the health and wellbeing of all residents.

The plan addresses health and wellbeing opportunities in the Baw Baw Shire Council Plan 2017-2021 with actions framed under each of the council plan’s strategic objectives.

Cr Darren Wallace said this was an ambitious plan for the next four years.

“If 70 per cent of the actions can be delivered, it is an exciting outcome,” he said.

Cr Mikaela Power said council was a little late delivering this plan but it had been time well spent.

“Health is really important and getting to the point of changing your behaviour to improve your health is worth it,” she said.

Cr Power said the plan also allowed council to measure its actions through the process.

Cr Jessica O’Donnell said the level of community consultation for this plan was impressive.

“This is the plan the community built,” she said, congratulating staff for their incredible effort in visiting towns around the shire and undertaking consultation.

“It was an absolute mammoth effort, and they went and got people to have their say rather than waiting for people to come to them,” she said.

The plan outlines a number of opportunities for improving the community’s health and wellbeing including improving nutrition; being active; nurturing good mental health; reducing family violence; reducing harm from gambling, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; and, protecting health in a changing climate.

Mayor Joe Gauci said council’s aim was to improve the quality of life for all people who live, work, learn and visit Baw Baw Shire.

“Our overall goal is to positively affect the health of the community in the long term with a real focus on prevention in health, rather than interventions.

“Good health and wellbeing is a fundamental part of building vibrant communities for strong people and strong economies, which in turn benefits everyone.”

He said the plan reflected valuable contributions from community, local health and social statistics, health service representatives and other levels of government.

“This is a municipal-wide plan which means it has been created by the wider Baw Baw community and will be carried out by a variety of organisations working cooperatively and in partnership with the community.

“Each year, an action plan will be developed to set out the ways that we collaboratively carry out the plans strategies. This will be developed by people and organisations that are connected to the Heathy Baw Baw Advisory Committee, and the related working groups.

“Council is one member of an alliance of organisations working together for better health and wellbeing and we are extremely proud to be able to lead the fantastic work being done,” Cr Gauci said.

Crazy hair styles were on show at Trafalgar Primary School as fundraising efforts for a new playground continued.

Several students got into the Christmas spirits with some impressive hair styles and colour adding to the fun.

Students made a gold coin donation to carry their crazy hair styles, some of which had taken several hours to prepare.