Doctor Christine Armstrong who is based at our Central site features in an International Women's Day special in the Bendigo Advertiser today. Read on ...
Dr Christine Armstrong
Bendigo Community Health Services
Doctor Christine Armstrong has dedicated the past 12 years to developing quality health and wellbeing services for women of all ages in the Bendigo region.
She is a passionate advocate of the right for women to access appropriate and affordable specialised women’s health services.
“I have been privileged as a GP to specialise in women’s health for more than 20 years in Queensland, Tasmania and now Bendigo,” Dr Armstrong says.
“When I arrived in Bendigo 12 years ago, apart from Bendigo hospital there were no medical practices offering a dedicated service specialising in women’s health. Thankfully, today, that’s no longer the case.”
Dr Armstrong has played a lead role in developing a highly-regarded women’s health clinic at Bendigo Community Health Services.
“This service has gone from one GP and a nurse providing one afternoon a week to now three GPs with women’s health skills and three sexual health nurses providing full-time services across BCHS sites in Central Bendigo and Eaglehawk,” Dr Armstrong says.
The women’s health clinic focuses on sexual health, ante and post-natal care, reproduction, contraception, pregnancy counselling and services, menopausal issues and women’s health screening.
The quality of care delivered by Dr Armstrong and her peers has been recognised with the State Government choosing Bendigo Community Health Services to deliver regional Victoria’s first women’s sexual and reproductive health hub.
“This has allowed us to upgrade our equipment and increase our staff numbers to enhance our capacity to provide that vital safe and affordable service to the women of Bendigo and surrounding areas.”
The women’s sexual and reproductive health hub will cater for women of all ages from the Bendigo Community Health Services Central site at 165-171 Hargreaves Street.
Dr Armstrong also looks after the health and wellbeing of young women in the region by spending time working from the headspace Bendigo site at 78-80 Pall Mall.
For more information on the services offered by Bendigo Community Health Services visit www.bchs.com.au or call 5448 1600.