A day for Donna and her fellow Bendigo Family Day Care Educators

From the moment you step through the front gate of Donna McArthur’s Kangaroo Flat home, you know you’re somewhere special.

There’s the little rowboat-turned sandpit in the front garden, the patio of tiny tables and outdoor toys, the warm welcome at the door and the sound of happy kids in the living room.

For the lucky children here, it’s akin to coming to nanna’s house, and that’s the way Donna loves it.

The early childhood educator began operating her own home-based business in 2020, with the support of Bendigo Family Day Care.

Locals discover skills for life at Wanyanimbik Wayawan, BCHS’ new alcohol and other drugs wellbeing centre

Bendigo Community Health Services has a new, dedicated multi-million dollar wellbeing centre for people seeking support with dependency issues.

Premier The Hon Jacinta Allan MP officially opened the centre this week, marking a major milestone during community health’s 50^th year in the city.

Privately situated off Holdsworth Road, Wanyanimbik Wayawan has been established thanks to almost $4 million from the Victorian Government’s Regional Health Infrastructure Fund.

BCHS provides a home base for medicine reviews

We welcomed Bendigo UFS Community Pharmacist Jessica Thornton to our Hargreaves Street site this week, to ensure some of our clients of refugee background are on the right track with their medicines.

Jessica is part of the In-home Medicines Review Program, which does a great job of visiting people who are taking multiple medicines for all-important reviews, in their homes. The program has been running for approximately 20 years, but Jessica had never been to the house of a Karen person.

BCHS Refugee Nurse Veronica Steegs recognised a need for the service for her clients, so invited Jessica to start undertaking in-home reviews, in-house at BCHS, after referral from our doctors.