Help us understand your community health and wellbeing needs
19 August 2020
As we emerge from the bushfires in a reshaped COVID-19 world, COORDINARE – South Eastern NSW PHN is inviting community members to share their views on how to improve the health and wellbeing of their local communities.
According to Dianne Kitcher, CEO of the South Eastern NSW PHN, the main focus of the community consultation is to hear from people about how to best support mental health in bushfire affected communities, but it will also look more broadly at community recovery in general.
“We really encourage people to be a part of this consultation, and contribute to shaping new services for bushfire recovery, substance misuse and broader mental health support needed due to COVID-19,” said Ms Kitcher.
“A new round of bushfire recovery funding will also be used to increase the delivery of non-clinical supports in fire-affected communities based on the needs of the local areas.
Increased non-clinical supports could include additional social workers, or support for community events and activities that bring people together in a physically distanced environment.
In order to determine the services needed, the South Eastern NSW PHN has partnered with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and local council / community-led bushfire recovery groups.
“We welcome innovative ideas from communities to help support mental health and community wellbeing, and will look for guidance in each local government area,” Ms Kitcher added.
“We will then focus on planning and co-designing the services in and with local communities.”
To find out more about the community consultation, to complete the online survey and to help us understand what your community needs are, go to: https://bit.ly/communityhealthandwellbeing
A downloadable version of the survey is also available at the website for printing. Survey submissions close on 23 August 2020.