RNH Updates A Word from CEO Jenni Masters
A moment to thank everyone for the kindness I've been shown since arriving in the Wimmera. I see there are many challenges to face with public health outcomes and in our own operations such as employee retention and attraction.
But I firmly believe with community collaboration and innovative thinking we can excel in this tough post COVID environment.
There are some things to let you know:
• We are having a stand at the Wimmera Mallee Field Days on the 7-9 March and offering free health checks so I encourage you all to come and visit us to make the most of this opportunity and talk with our fabulous health professionals. • Our Allied Health Team are experiencing reduced capacity and in particular within our Physiotherapy and Podiatry services. We are working hard on recruitment and seeking partnerships to increase our capacity to deliver these services again in the near future.
New temporary measures in place from Monday 20 February are:
Podiatry will not accept new outpatient referrals; this is to ensure we can continue to manage the current consumers receiving ongoing Podiatry care.
There is no staff Physiotherapist available, however we do have limited locum Physiotherapists available. Our Intake team will be reviewing new physiotherapy referrals and likely forwarding these on to neighbouring public or private physiotherapy providers.
For urgent physiotherapy referrals the Intake team will determine if there is capacity for our locum Physiotherapist to assist or if our Exercise Physiologist is appropriate for care.
We hope these are temporary measures only and thank you for your understanding.
I'm looking forward to hosting an afternoon tea here at Yarriambiack Lodge for residents, their families and the community on Friday 10 March at 2pm so please come along.
We are also holding a community afternoon tea in Hopetoun at Gateway BEET on Wednesday 15 March at 3pm and will have information on hand regarding the benefits of joining our Social Activities Group (PAG) and in doing so have access to our bus, staff and approved RNH volunteer drivers.
I applaud Rural Northwest Health's vision of supporting 'strong, healthy, vibrant rural communities' and our mission to 'promote wellness, enhance health, and support healthy aging' and promise to work diligently alongside our wonderful team here to see it realised daily.