Archived News for Health Sector Professionals
Ten new headspace youth mental health services will begin operating by the end of the year, with the announcement by the Federal Government of the selection of the lead agencies for operation.
The Australian Government has committed to providing $133.3 million over four years from 2010-11 for the headspace program.
The lead agencies were independently selected following an open Expression of Interest process by the headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. The Foundation has as its members the University of Melbourne, Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Research Institute, the Australian Psychological Society, Principals Australia and the Australian General Practice Network.
The ten new headspace services will include three sites in Queensland (Nundah and Inala in Brisbane, and Cairns), two in NSW (Parramatta and Shoalhaven) two in Victoria (Bendigo and Collingwood) and one each in Tasmania (Hobart), South Australia (Noarlunga) and Western Australia (Perth). Each will receive a $300,000 grant to establish a headspace service, with ongoing funding to support the operation of the sites.
The headspace services will provide information, promote early detection and offer holistic care tailored to young people between the ages of 12 and 25 in the areas of mental health, physical health, alcohol and drug use, and social and vocational support.
Up to 20 more headspace services will be launched by mid-2013 with priority given to areas experiencing social disadvantage or where factors such as youth suicide and substance abuse indicate an urgent need for youth mental health services.
WA health workers funded to target Indigenous health
During a visit to Western Australia today, the Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, announced an extra 63 health workers are being provided to health services across the state to help close the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The Australian Government is providing almost $8 million for an extra 63 health workers to be placed in 27 Western Australian health services, including a large number of Aboriginal Health Services. Already 42 of the 63 workers have been recruited.
The 63 positions funded for WA are:
New campaign to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
A new national campaign called Live Longer! has been launched to tackle chronic disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The campaign is a central part of the Australian Government’s $21.3 million investment over four years to establish and run Local Community Campaigns.
Pathology industry signs up to cost saving deal
The Federal Government has signed an agreement with the Australian Association of Pathology Practices, the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia and the National Coalition of Public Pathology under which expenditure growth on pathology through Medicare will be capped to approximately 5% per annum, resulting in savings of $550 million over the five-year period of the agreement.
Draft e-health records plan released
A national blueprint has been released for public consultation for the development of personally controlled e-health records (PCEHR) for their 1 July 2012 launch.
WA funding for mental health training and delivery
The WA Government has provided the Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH) with funding of $1.695 million over the next two years to distribute to more than 75 non-government not-for-profit agencies.
WA spends up on healthy living
The Western Australian Government has allocated $11.35 million over three years, for a range of health promotion programs and campaigns to fight obesity and related diseases.
NSW funds redirected to mental health
The new New South Wales Minister for Mental Health, Kevin Humphries, has allocated $30 million to establish a Mental Health Commission by the end of the year.
Overhaul for NSW Health
The new NSW Coalition government has replaced the director-general of health, Debora Picone, who has been in the position for almost four years, with Dr Mary Foley, formerly National Health Practice Leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, and prior to that foundation Chief Executive of St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney (2001 -2008).
Tender for Male Health Study
The Department of Health and Ageing has called tenders for the design and establishment of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health and commencement of the first wave of data collection.
Flexible Care program for mental illness to be rolled out with Medicare Locals
Implementation has begun of the Federal Government’s $58.5 million Flexible Care Packages that will provide clinical and case coordination services for people with severe mental illness, to be delivered through Medicare Locals.
NHMRC Indigenous Scientific Forum calls for promotion of research funding
The importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research and building the current and future workforce were reinforced at the NHMRC Indigenous Scientific Forum, held recently in Canberra.
$2 billion public hospital for Sunshine Coast
The Queensland Government has announced it will call for tenders for the construction of the new $2 billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) this month, and is expecting to finalise a contract with Ramsey Health Care for the construction of a new private hospital on the same site.
Victorian regional health hub funded
The Victorian Government has announced funding of $7 million for the construction of a new Regional Health Hub at Deakin University's Geelong Campus.
Aspirin study for the elderly
A new collaborative study has been into the effectiveness of aspirin on preventing illnesses and health problems such as heart disease, strokes and low blood pressure in patients aged over 70.
$50 million delivered to Royal Hobart
The second tranche of the Federal Government's $100 million pledge has been delivered to the Royal Hobart Hospital, following acceptance of the Tasmanian Government’s progress report on the $180 million project, which forms part of the $565 million redevelopment of the hospital.
Queensland medical research fellowships announced
The Queensland Government has announced the first round of recipients for 2011 under the Queensland Health’s Office of Health and Medical Research (OHMR) fellowship program.
Second Wave e-health care groups identified
The Australian Government has announced nine Second Wave sites for the implementation of its $467 million national Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) project.
Indigenous health brokerage for inner Melbourne
A new health brokerage service has been established for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in the inner north of metropolitan Melbourne.
Food and Health Dialogue meets to discuss progress
The Food and Health Dialogue, which brings together government, industry and public health groups to address poor dietary habits amongst Australians, met for the sixth time last week to discuss progress against key milestones and priorities.
Record numbers of GPs in training
The Federal Minister for Health and Aging Nicola Roxon has revealed that a record 900 GPs have started training in 2011, a 50 per cent increase from 2007.