Posts related to 'health safety and wellbeing'

Media Release: Maroondah’s immunisation team working with Royal Children’s Hospital

Published by Alex Makin on Wednesday 6th of August, 2008

Maroondah City Council’s Immunisation team is working with the Royal Children’s Hospital to establish HealthNuts, a research study on food allergy and children.

Councillor Alex Makin said HealthNuts is being run by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

“The HealthNuts project team are working with Maroondah’s immunisation team to recruit participants for the study via selected immunisation sessions over the coming weeks,” said Cr Makin.

“With the incidence of food allergy rising, the project aims to measure how many people are affected by food allergies, why the number is increasing and which children are at greatest risk,” said Cr Makin.

“The HealthNuts team will be at a number of Maroondah immunisation sessions where they will provide information on the research project and invite parents of children under one year of age to participate, initially with an assessment of their allergy status,” said Cr Makin.

Participation is voluntary and will take approximately 20 minutes during the post-immunisation waiting period. Parents will be asked to complete a questionnaire relating to their own and their child’s diet and lifestyle, and their child will be required to have a skin prick test.

A positive skin prick test does not automatically mean your child has an allergy, however all children with a positive skin prick test will be invited to attend The Royal Children’s Hospital allergy clinic for further testing.

Participation in the study is voluntary and parents can withdraw at any stage of the study without any reduction in care from the participating organisations.

For more information on Council’s immunisation service contact Maroondah City Council on 1300 882 233.

Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee - discussing Council’s new wellbeing plan

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 15th of July, 2008

While the Premier and Cabinet descended upon Maroondah as part of their ‘Community Cabinet’ — and left without an announcement towards the redevelopment of Ringwood Station, I was chairing Maroondah’s Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee to discuss council’s direction in community wellbeing.

Today’s Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee discussed the charter of the existing group and began gathering input into council’s new Community Wellbeing Plan. This plan will replace the former Health, Safety and Wellbeing Plan and will encompass a broader perspective on issues facing our community.

The Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee is one of the groups overseeing the plan and a number of workshops will be held to gather input from the committee and the broader community. Workshops will be conducted during August and September and will provide an opportunity for community service providers to provide guidance into the plan. This consultation will broadly involve four themes including the built environment, the natural environment, the environment environment and the social, cultural and health environment.

The Community Wellbeing Plan is expected to be finalised in mid 2009 and will guide council’s approach to a number of health, safety and wellbeing issues within our community.

Community Safety Week, which is planned for October was also discussed at today’s meeting and a separate meeting will be established to plan activities for the week. Connex is particularly interested in holding education sessions around safety at rail stations to ensure that people stand behind the yellow line and are mindful of ensuring that the needs for people with disabilities are respected.

The next Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee is scheduled for the 16th of September and will provide further updates on the formation of the Community Wellbeing Plan.

Ringwood Rotary - discussing the Maroondah Police Seniors Register

Published by Alex Makin on Wednesday 9th of July, 2008

This evening I attended a Ringwood Rotary meeting held at Club Ringwood on the corner of Oban Road and Maroondah Highway. Ringwood Rotary is one of the 50 clubs that form District 9810, which covers eastern and southeastern Melbourne.

Rotary’s motto “service above self” epitomises the work undertaken by the organisation with the club being involved in a range of diverse community projects, including the provision of shelter for people affected by the recent tsunami in Burma. Guest speakers are invited to discuss community activities and potential avenues for assistance from Rotary.

Tonight’s guest speaker was Sergeant Sandra Haining from Ringwood Police who discussed the Maroondah Police Senior’s Register, The register, which was formed as a partnership between Maroondah Police, Eastern Volunteers and Maroondah City Council, aims to improve the safety and wellbeing of seniors. Once a person joins the register, a home safety audit is conducted to provide advice on safety issues around the home, such as potential tripping hazards and to provide contact details about local services.

Members also have the option of receiving monthly calls from a volunteer to provide a proactive approach to the welfare of senior citizens. The calls help reduce social isolation and ensures that someone is aware of any concerns that may arise, ensuring a prompt and proactive approach. For details on the register please contact 9724 0177.

Ringwood Rotary meets each Wednesday evening from 6:00 pm at Club Ringwood.

Hope City Mission Charity Auction and Dinner

Published by Alex Makin on Friday 20th of June, 2008

Hope City Mission was established in late 2004 to provide support for people in need through empowering positive change. The organisation, which is a registered charity, changed its name to Hope City Mission in March 2008 and was formerly known as Croydon Community Care.

Hope City Mission extends the delivery of emergency relief, by also looking after the wellbeing of people in need. The Mission organises extravaganza days, pamper days, training programs and workshops to provide a holistic approach to the support it offers.

The focus of Hope City Mission is on empowerment and their unique pamper days provides an opportunity for people in need to feel good about themselves. The Mission provides free hair dressing, a cafe and other beauty therapy treatments. Half of the attendees within the Pamper Day program live in crisis accommodation or refuges demonstrating the need to look after the wellbeing of participants.

The Mission has also partnered with a registered training organisation to provide an opportunity for people to re-focus their employment skills and re-enter the workforce. There is also an emphasis on resume writing and interviewing skills and self-esteem to assist people in finding work.

Alleviating the chronic shortage of short-term and crisis accommodation is another priority for Hope City Mission and the organisation aims to secure property and provide such services in the future.

Hope City Mission provides an amazing range of services to people in need to meet just not physical needs such as food but also the wellbeing of individuals. The mission is always in need of volunteers and community assistance.

Ringwood After Dark

Published by Alex Makin on Monday 16th of June, 2008

This evening I walked home from the Council meeting. While this month’s meeting was largely harmonious the walk home demonstrated how much needs to be done.

As I was walking along Maroondah Highway I passed the bus stop near the Mount Dandenong Road and Maroondah Highway intersections. A lady was waiting at the bus stop who asked me if there were any more buses to get her to the station so she could go to Mitcham. I mentioned that bus route 670, which travels along Maroondah Highway, finished service at 9pm and that walking to the station was the only option available to her.

As we were walking towards Ringwood Station, we passed Ringwood Lake and about half a dozen youths involved in a fight along the median strip of Maroondah Highway. While I contacted the Police, it is saddening that despite so many cars driving past only two drivers stopped to contact the authorities. It is a terrible reflection upon our society when so many people will simply choose to ignore a situation than try and assist.

I find it ironic that as a council we talk about the vibrant future of Ringwood, while we have a situation where people are unable to get to their destinations and we have violent fighting occurring in our streets. While Ringwood certainly needs a vision, it is important we do not lose sight of the fact that there is much that needs to be done to immediately improve our amenity.

It’s easy to get caught up in a vision for the future, but a vision begins with practical steps to achieve that outcome. There is much more that needs to be done to improve the amenity of Maroondah and while some of it may be outside the domain of local government we should not be skirting our responsibilities.

Meanwhile, council is preoccupied with trying to overturn the VEC’s decision into changes proposed for Maroondah’s ward structure. Perhaps some of my colleagues would benefit from walking around Ringwood after dark.