Page 859 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 18 March 2015
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The enhanced community health centre in Belconnen is a good example of the variety of services offered to support both the local and extended communities. Opened in November 2013, it provides adult, child and youth mental health services, adult, child and youth dental services, community services and allied health community rehabilitation including falls assessment clinics, obesity management, diabetes management and maternal and child health services.
The renal dialysis unit and the BreastScreen service are scheduled to open in 2015. The Belconnen Community Health Centre also houses one of the two community-based, nurse-led walk-in centres which have been extremely popular with the community. Three of our community health centres, Gungahlin, Belconnen and Tuggeranong, have been built, extended or refurbished recently as part of the Labor government’s health infrastructure program.
In the area of aged care and rehabilitation, ACT Health works in collaboration with other government and non-government organisations to promote the health and wellbeing of older members of our community. We are committed to providing an enhanced quality of life for older Canberrans in close collaboration with the commonwealth. This is achieved through the provision of high quality and cost-effective services for frail older people and their carers, including through programs such as the transitional therapy care program, the Burrangiri Aged Care Plus Respite Centre in Rivett and the aged-care assessment program.
ACT Health also works in partnership with community organisations such as Arthritis ACT, Marymead, Kincare and regional community services to ensure that Canberrans who need support or assistance to optimise their capacity to live independently in the community are provided with services that are responsive and inclusive. Support to remain living independently is not just limited to those who are ageing. People recovering from illness or injury also benefit from such services.
The Health Directorate provides a wide range of equipment-related services to enable people to remain living in the community. These services, which are provided from the Village Creek Centre, include the equipment loan scheme; the ACT equipment scheme; the domiciliary oxygen and respiratory support scheme; prosthetics and orthotics, including the footwear service; the specialised wheelchair and posture seating service; and the clinical technology service workshop, including custom medical-grade footwear and mobile repair and maintenance services. The Independent Living Centre at Weston is another great example of a community-based health service that provides advice regarding assistive technology to enable consumers to remain independent and retain their quality of life.
In addition to these, there are several programs that are aimed at older people and people requiring rehabilitation to integrate back into the community after illness or injury. Some of these services are provided by the Community Rehabilitation Team, the transitional therapy and care program and the rapid assessment of the deteriorating aged at risk service. All of these programs work with vulnerable individuals, their families and carers to integrate and help maintain these individuals in their own communities, in their own neighbourhoods.
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