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Meet our BCHS Life Member: Jack Taylor OAM

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Wednesday 20 May 2020
Written by Rod

A great community-minded leader and great supporter of Bendigo Community Health Services.

A five-time mayor of the Borough of Eaglehawk, Jack played an important role in the push to establish Eaglehawk Community Health Services in October 1973 which would later become Bendigo Community Health Services.

"We had limited doctors in Eaglehawk at the time and this is just what we wanted as a community," Jack recalled during our 30th birthday celebrations.

"And, of course, the borough council were right behind anything in that regard."

 

BCHS was sad to learn of the passing of Jack in August 2018. To read our tribute click here

 

To meet more of our valued Life Members, please visit our special online honour board click here

Bendigo Diabetes Group Exercise Session

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Tuesday 21 January 2020
Written by Rod

Our Exercise Physiologist will show you the safe and right way to exercise to help manage your Type 2 Diabetes.

Regular exercise can:

  • Stabilise blood glucose levels long term.
  • Improve the body’s response to insulin which can lower your blood glucose levels for up to 24 hours!
  • Increase muscle strength and muscle size resulting in increased insulin sensitivity.
  • Increase uptake of blood glucose.
  • Help weight control by decreasing fat mass.
  • Reduce blood pressure.
  • Reduce cholesterol levels.
  • Help prevent complications associated with Type 2 Diabetes.
  • Improve mental health.

What do the sessions cost?

Sessions are funded by Medicare.

How do the sessions work?

Initial assessment

Our Exercise Physiologist will look at your medical history, do a physical assessment, set goals and create an exercise plan just for you.

Exercise prescription

Eight group sessions and our Exercise Physiologist will provide you with an exercise program to do at home or connect you with other community-based exercise facilities.

Post assessment

You review goals and objective measures.

Do I need a referral for group exercise sessions?

Yes, you will need a referral from your GP before joining the group exercise sessions.

Medicare

A referral from a GP is needed to obtain Medicare rebates for Type 2 diabetes sessions.

A GP Management Plan must be in place.

MBS item numbers: 81110 and 81115

How do I ask a question about the Diabetes Group Exercise Sessions?

Call the Active Living Program team on (03) 5406 1200 with your question or to book an appointment with our Exercise Physiologist.

What’s an Exercise Physiologist?

An Allied Health professional specialising in preventing and managing health conditions and injury treatment.

An Exercise Physiologist works with consumers in areas such as:

  • diabetes
  • heart disease
  • obesity
  • asthma
  • chronic pain
  • cancer
  • osteoarthritis
  • osteoporosis
  • COPD
  • chronic pain
  • impaired balance
  • rehabilitation for injury or before and after surgery.

Do you offer other diabetes services?

Our Credentialled Diabetes Educators can help you to adapt to a life with diabetes, support you to set goals for self-managing your diabetes and educate you on the diabetes process.

They can support you with:

  • Eating
  • Exercise
  • Diabetes sick day management
  • Complications of diabetes
  • Tools to help you manage your diabetes.

Credentialled Diabetes Educators are available Monday to Friday at our Eaglehawk site and at outreach clinics at Strathfieldsaye Primary Health and Elmore Primary Health.

To learn more about our diabetes programs click here

Last updated: January 2020

Meet our BCHS Life Member: Denise Main

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Friday 3 January 2020
Written by Rod

Denise Main was a pioneer for community health in Bendigo serving as the organisation’s first Community Health Nurse from the beginning in 1974 through to 1993.

She remembers a message from her family on the night of May 1974 after accepting the offer to become the first Community Health Nurse for Eaglehawk Long Gully Community Health Centre that would prove prophetic for her career in the role.

It read: “Well done, you realise that this position will become not just a job but a way of life.”

How true those words would become.

“I have lived and breathed the philosophy, principles and practice of community and public healh as a Community Health Nurse and as a lecturer at La Trobe University in the Bachelor of Public Health Program and recently as a volunteer for the Bellarine, Point Lonsdale Community Health Service.”

Main 16

Denise outlined the incredible journey of community health in Bendigo during a speech to the Bendigo Community Health Services AGM on October 28, 2010.

“I can well remember the first AGM of what was then the Eaglehawk and Long Gully Community Health Centre in 1974. The staff of almost 16 had high hopes for the future of the community based centre but never could have envisaged the size, range and scope of the community health service that it now has become.

“This journey has taken 36 years with the original philosophy and policy still in place and at the heart of each stage of its development. The focus has not wavered from one that has always been one of health promotion, illness prevention and health education rather than one focused on illness and primary care. This was a unique feature a new way of thinking about community health.”

A true highlight of Denise’s time in community health was her work in researching and establishing a service to meet the needs of victims and survivors of sexual assault.

Denise was supported by the Committee of Management and peers to apply for and accept a Churchill Fellowship to study community responses to child sexual abuse in the USA and Canada in 1986.

“This fellowship, the experience and knowledge gained helped to strengthen the newly-established Sexual Assault Unit at Bendigo Base Hospital which later became the Centre Against Sexual Assault – Yarrington House named after Mrs Yarrington of Eaglehawk’s Benovolent Society for Women and Children,” Denise says.

“It also gave us a model to develop the Child Sexual Assault Treatment Program known as the CAT Program.”

Denise remembers the satisfaction that came with taking risks and challenges in innovation and creating opportunities for change in the way that individuals and families managed their health care issues.

“The aim was to help to shift the focus from dependence to managing with the support and expertise of health care practitioners. However, in most instances when we provided our researched evidence for an initiative we received the support and encouragement from the whole community health team.”

Denise retired from life as a Community Health Nurse in February 1993.

Today Denise lives in Point Lonsdale and has completed a Diploma of Visual Arts, works as a volunteer guide at Geelong Gallery and is a member of the SpringDale Artists, Queenscliff Rip Writers and Bellarine Community Health Services.

 

To meet more of our BCHS Life Members click here

 

A Bendigo Advertiser story announcing start of construction on the new Eaglehawk Long Gully Community Health Centre.

A Bendigo Advertiser story announcing start of construction on the new Eaglehawk Long Gully Community Health Centre.

Denise Main with new Eaglehawk Community Health Centre manager Russ Hansen.

Denise Main with new Eaglehawk Community Health Centre manager Russ Hansen.

The Bendigo Advertiser announces Denise Main has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship.

The Bendigo Advertiser announces Denise Main has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship.

The Bendigo Advertiser acknowledges Denis Main is at the forefront of change for sexual abuse victims.

The Bendigo Advertiser acknowledges Denis Main is at the forefront of change for sexual abuse victims.

An official invitiation for Denis Main to receive the Churchill Fellowship from the Lieutenant Governor and Lady Young.

An official invitiation for Denis Main to receive the Churchill Fellowship from the Lieutenant Governor and Lady Young.

The plans and site for the new Eaglehawk Long Gully Community Health Centre.

The plans and site for the new Eaglehawk Long Gully Community Health Centre.

As the Bendigo Advertiser headline says: A Churchill opportunity provides a welcome responsibility.

As the Bendigo Advertiser headline says: A Churchill opportunity provides a welcome responsibility.

The Bendigo Advertiser recognises Denise Main's wonderful career in community health.

The Bendigo Advertiser recognises Denise Main's wonderful career in community health.

The Eaglehawk Community Health Centre team with Denise Main fourth from the left in the back row.

The Eaglehawk Community Health Centre team with Denise Main fourth from the left in the back row.

 

Last updated: December 2019.

 

 

Meet our BCHS Life Member: Leigh Watkins

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Friday 3 January 2020
Written by Rod

Leigh served on the Bendigo Community Health Services board for nine years with seven of those years as Board Chair.

His hard work and dedication for BCHS through the Board of Directors only came to an end through a BCHS policy which sets a nine-year service limit for any director.

“Bendigo Community Health Services performs a vital role in the delivery of health services in our community,” Leigh says of his commitment.

Leigh continues his great work for the community today as a Director and Chair of Bendigo Primary Care Centre, director of Blackall Range Care Group on the Sunshine Coast and Director of Woombye and Districts Community Bank.

 

To meet more of our BCHS Life Members click here

 

Last updated: December 2019.

Meet our BCHS Life Member: Jeff Wallis

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Friday 3 January 2020
Written by Rod

Jeff enjoyed a long period of employment which dates back to the origins of the Eaglehawk Community Health Centre.

Jeff started employment as the organisation’s second Welfare Officer replacing Jack Beecham about 18 months after the centre was launched.

In his time with the organisation Jeff worked as the Welfare Officer, health educator and QUIT program co-ordinator.

Jeff set up and managed the first Drink Drive Program for community health which was later expanded to run with support from the Kangaroo Flat Community Health Centre.

In all Jeff gave 17 years of service to the organisation always with the aim of delivering new and innovative programs to schools and the broader community.

“It was fantastic to be involved with exciting and visionary people in helping develop new models of primary health care and new models of ill-health prevention and education,” Jeff says.

“Eaglehawk Community Health Centre was the model other new community health centres looked to for inspiration and leadership from around the country.

“Current operations in Bendigo continue to reflect the innovation and service provision.”

Jeff continued in the health sector by establishing and managing Heathcote Community Health Service for seven years before turning to gardening and landscaping as a pursuit he continues today.

Jeff was given the honour in 2019 of officially opening Bendigo Community Health Services’ new Fork In The Road community hub at the Central site in Hargreaves Street.

To meet more of our BCHS Life Members click here

Last updated: December 2019.

Meet our BCHS Life Member: Gary Thorn

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Friday 3 January 2020
Written by Rod

The support of Eaglehawk Borough Council was instrumental in the establishment of Eaglehawk and Long Gully Community Health Centre in 1974.

The council’s strong support continued as the centre moved through its formative years with Gary serving as the council representative on the Committee of Management through the entire 1980s.

When the council was amalgamated in 1994 Gary was elected to ELGCHC successor organisation Bendigo Community Health Services and served as the Chair into the early 2000s.

“Eaglehawk and Long Gully Community Health Centre and subsequently Bendigo Community Health Services have been pivotal in assuring the good health and wellbeing of the Eaglehawk community to which I belong,” Gary says.

“Community health is enormously important I that it has been proactive in addressing health concerns and wellbeing issues that may well have been overlooked or thought not to otherwise have a deleterious affect on the functioning of community.

“I like how community health’s various programs and partnerships have developed the capacity and resilience of individual community members and therefore made my community more vibrant and effective.”

Gary spent 40 years as a secondary school teacher with the last 15 at Bendigo Senior Secondary College but opted for a career change to law.

After completing a law degree and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at ANU he was admitted to practice.

Today Gary describes himself as a full-time carer of grandchildren – perhaps his busiest and most rewarding career role of all!

To meet more of our BCHS Life Members click here

Last updated: December 2019.

Meet our BCHS Life Member: Maree Dixon

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Friday 3 January 2020
Written by Rod

Bendigo Community Health Services recognised Maree with a life membership for her extreme loyalty as a client which today spans the entire 45 years of our existence.

“(Bendigo Community Health Services) are important because they offer all the services that I need,” Maree says.

Today Maree is retired and continues to work on her health after having heart surgery.

To meet more of our BCHS Life Members click here

Last updated: December 2019.

Meet our BCHS Life Member: John Dixon

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Friday 3 January 2020
Written by Rod

John has been a long-time client of Bendigo Community Health Services and was a valuable donor to Eaglehawk Community Health Centre through the formative years.

“We made a couple of donations in appreciation of the care that the doctor gave to my wife,” Johns says.

John says Bendigo Community Health Services remains important to the couple because of the care the organisation provides.

Today John is ‘semi-retired’ but does fill in the days by working part-time fixing garage doors.

To meet more of our BCHS Life Members click here

Last updated: December 2019.

Karen Community Hub and Language School officially opened in Bendigo becomes another asset for proud multicultural city

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Tuesday 2 April 2019
Written by Rod

Bendigo Community Health Services is proud of the role we have played in establishing Bendigo's first Karen Community Hub and Language School.

The hub was officially launched by City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Margaret O'Rourke and Federal Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters during a special ceremony on Sunday. 

Our Cultural Diversity and Relationships manager Kaye Graves said the new hub was vital in helping the Karen community retain their culture, identity and faith while settling in a new country.

"It is even more important for those new arrivals we welcome to Bendigo who have been displaced and stateless in their own country of origin," Kaye said.

"The Karen Community Hub and Language School improves settlement opportunities, the wellbeing of the Karen community and prevents loss of identity through the promotion of the Karen traditions and preservation of cultural identity . This will happen through opportunities to learn traditional dance, weaving, language and storytelling."

Each Sunday the hub offers Karen language classes from 10am to noon, Karen dance classes from noon to 2pm and Karen weaving classes from noon to 3pm.  

Bendigo Community Health Services was part of an advisory group formed to seek funding for the hub with a successful grant from the LUCRF Community Partnership Trust.

"My role was to develop skills and capacity for the Karen in important areas such as project and meeting management. BCHS gave $4000 to help with establishment," Kaye said.

"BCHS will work with the new hub to provide health education and build health and service literacy."  

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Bendigo doctors: Meet some of the great GPs working in our bulk-billed clinics

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Wednesday 16 January 2019
Written by Rod

Our GPs are all about looking after you and the community.

Consumer care is a top priority at Bendigo Community Health Services and we're lucky to have a range of GPs who follow this strategic direction.

Our GPs work from bulk-billed medical clinics at our Eaglehawk, Bendigo Central and Kangaroo Flat sites.

Meet some of our great GPs here:

Dr Haris Noor web

Dr Haris Noor

BCHS site: Eaglehawk

Dr Noor has been working as a rural doctor around Bendigo since 2013 and enjoys all aspects of medicine with special interests in child and adolescent health.

After graduating and obtaining my medical degree from Monash University in 2012, Dr Noor worked at Bendigo Hospital in various specialty areas before gaining further experience in child and adolescent care to pursue this special interest.

He worked as a Paediatric Registrar for 18 months at Bendigo Hospital, Dandenong Hospital and Casey Hospital caring for newborns, infants, children, and adolescents while completing the Diploma in Child Health (DCH). 

Dr Noor then started post-graduate specialist GP training and worked in primary health care at Castlemaine and at the local hospital attending patients at the Urgent Care and Acute Ward as a visiting medical officer.

Now in his final year of specialist training as a GP Registrar, Dr Noor is working towards gaining a Fellowship with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

He also works part-time in the Bendigo Health emergency department while completing the Emergency Medicine Certificate through the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM). 

Dr Noor is a bit of a thrill seeker in his spare time, embracing his adventureous side to go camping, road-tripping, hiking, wake-boarding or paragliding.

Special interests:

  • Child & Adolescent Health
  • Men's Health
  • LGBTI Health
  • Preventative Health
  • Hepatitis C treatment
  • HIV PrEP prescription
  • Therapeutic musculoskeletal injections
  • Minor skin surgeries

Book an appointment to see Dr Noor at our Eaglehawk site:  https://www.bchs.com.au/book-online

 

Gary Bourke GP web

Dr Gary Bourke

BCHS site: Kangaroo Flat.

Dr Bourke is all about Bendigo having grown up in the city.

His Swiss-Italian, Chinese, Irish, English and German ancestry dates back four generations in the Bendigo and the Goldfields region.

Dr Bourke has been a doctor in Bendigo for more than 30 years and did focus on GP anaesthetics and GP obstetrics for a long time before stopping a few years ago to focus on GP paediatrics at our Kangaroo Flat site and spending time in Bendigo Health emergency department.

Dr Bourke has four adult children.

Away from work he spends his time bushwalking and listening to all kinds of music.

Special interests:

  • Paediatric care
  • Antenatal care
  • Drug and alcohol problems
  • Aboriginal health

Ashleigh Franklin 

Dr Ashleigh Franklin

I am a GP registrar with an interest in child and adolescent health, sexual health and women’s health.

I have been working in Bendigo since my internship, and I have just completed 12 months as a Paediatric Registrar at Bendigo Health.

Outside of work you’ll usually find me hanging out with my dog, Max, or enjoying the culinary delights of Bendigo.

Special interests

  • Child and adolescent health
  • Sexual health
  • Women’s health

Timothy Wiles web

Dr Timothy Wiles

I’m a GP registrar and have worked at Bendigo Health and Echuca Regional Health since graduating from Melbourne University in 2016.

I have worked as an Aged Care Registrar and subsequently Psychiatry Registrar at Bendigo Health and have an interest in Mental Health.

In leisure time, I enjoy tennis, soccer skiing and theatre.

Special Interests:

  • Mental Health
  • General Medicine

Sarah

Dr Sarah Lim

MBBS (Hons), SCHP, EMC

Dr Sarah moved from Malaysia and completed her medical degree at Monash University Melbourne in 2016.

She has worked at Goulburn Valley Health, Bendigo Base Hospital and Echuca Regional Health.

Dr Sarah has competed a post-graduate training in Paediatrics through the Sydney Child Health Program and a diploma in emergency medicine via the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM).

She also enjoys teaching and lectures the Monash Year 4 medical students in Castlemaine.

Outside of work Sarah enjoys running, swimming, travelling and cooking.

Special interest:

  • Paediatric health
  • Women’s health
  • Men’s health
  • Emergency medicine

Ben new

Dr Benjamin Ganesan

Dr Ben graduated from Monash University in 2009 obtaining a Bachelor of Biomedical Science followed by his Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery in 2013.

Following his internship at Monash Health, he went on and completed training in obstetrics and gynaecology and anaesthesia throughout Victoria (where he completed his JCCA in 2018) .

His professional interests include preventative health, skin cancer, chronic disease management, men’s and women’s health.

Dr Ben is a proceduralist in areas including skin lesions, suturing, wedge toenail excisions and Implanon insertion/extraction.

Outside of work, Ben is an avid traveller and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Special interests

  • Preventative health
  • Skin cancer
  • Chronic disease management
  • Men’s health
  • Women’s health

 

To learn more about our GPs and medical practice visit our See A GP section

 

Last updated: February 10, 2021

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