Bendigo PrEP demand grows as BCHS men's health and sexual health clinic staff cater for need

Demand for the ground-breaking HIV prevention medication PrEP in Bendigo is growing.

Our sexual health clinic staff are seeing more consumers seeking the medication in recent weeks. 

Men's health nurse practitoner Peter Strange is credentialled to prescribe PrEP. 

PrEP was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in April making the drug more affordable and accessible to Victorians.

Evidence shows that when taken daily PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by up to 99 per cent.

Together with condoms, frequent and regular sexual health screening and effective treatments for people living with HIV, Victorians have more resources than ever to prevent HIV.

Peter said people could visit the men's health or sexual health clinics to receive the PrEP medication.

"People who visit us for PrEP can expect more than just getting the medication - support and quality care should be much more than that," Peter says.

"It's really important to provide a comprehensive assessment which includes information, advice and options around PrEP and things such as testing for STIs to ensures people remain healthy and have peace of mind.

Fork In The Road community hub needs your support to help disadvantaged, vulnerable, lonely and homeless

Bendigo Community Health Services is calling for community support to create a new hub to help vulnerable and disadvantaged people build life and work skills.

Fork In The Road Bendigo will be designed with facilities and services information to show people using the space there is a road to new opportunity in their life.

Bendigo Community Health Services CEO Kim Sykes said the wonderful generosity of the Andrews Foundation had delivered use of a space beside the Central site at 165-171 Hargreaves Street for three years.

“We are determined to make the most of this fantastic opportunity from the Andrews Foundation but we will need community support to get Fork In The Road established and supporting the vulnerable, disadvantaged, lonely and homeless as we intend,” Ms Sykes said.

WHAT WE NEED: See the full list of things we need to get Fork In The Road up and running at the bottom of this post. Can you help?

“Fork In The Road needs a kitchen and coffee making area so we can provide a safe and respectful space for learning opportunities such as food handling and food preparation skills which we hope then leads to people seeing employment opportunity.

“The hub will also be home to our Thursday Soup Kitchen, a shower and laundry and provide us with an opportunity to run peer support groups in areas such as Alcohol and Other Drugs, our refugee families or youth.

Bendigo mental health the focus of our #5ways to wellbeing campaign

Good mental health is essential to living a happy and healthy life.

It’s about how you are feeling and dealing with daily life.

From May 28 to June 1 we’re hosting #5ways to wellbeing - five days of fun activities designed to remind the community why wellbeing is important.

Which one(s) will you take part in?

Day 1: Take Notice

Monday, May 28

We want you to nominate someone making a positive impact on our city! It could be the person who cooks the BBQ at your children’s sport, goes out of their way to make the office happy or a neighbour who brings your bin in (when you forget). We’ll choose five winners to show #5ways people do something positive to make their community better. Oh, yes, each winner gets a great prize thanks to our brilliant sponsors in Hume and Iser Bendigo, Intersport Bicknells and Old Green Bean. So, who are you nominating?

Download your #5ways nomination form here: pdf #5ways Take Notice nomination form (561 KB)

Day 2: Give

Tuesday, May 29