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Overcoming barriers for rural women accessing family planning services Partnerships improving rural women's sexual health Acknowledging Key Partners: The Royal Women's Hospital Grampians Medicare Local Ballarat Community Health Welcome to the first edition of Women's Health Grampians new quarterly newsletter aiming to inspire ideas and action to improve rural women's The Grampians Region sexual and reproductive health. has the highest rate of Women's Health Grampians along with our key partners have been Chlamydia in Victoria developing regional partnerships seeking to overcome the barriers for rural women accessing family planning services. Through this work we often learn about interesting initiatives, strategies and resources. This newsletter provides us with an opportunity to share that knowledge across our region. We would like to acknowledge The Royal Women's Hospital, Grampians Medicare Local and Ballarat Community Health as our key partners, thanking them for their support and commitment to date. RATE PER 100,000 PEOPLE FOR THE 12 MONTH PERIOD In developing a regional network supporting rural women's sexual and 6-JUN-2012 TO 5-JUN-2013 reproductive health, we welcome your feedback, contribution and Source Data: Department of collaboration to both this newsletter and developing partnerships. Health Surveillance of regional project update Notifiable Conditions In December 2012 Women's Local Government and the Health Grampians and The Royal Department of Health. Our network Women's Hospital proudly hosted There has been a general a forum to develop regional 15 organisations consensus that organisations would like to work together to: 13 organisations and 21 people 8 of our 11 LGA's participated, sharing our concerns Reduce teenage pregnancy rates that in the Grampians region: Reduce distances women need to travel for sexual health Major barriers exist for women accessing family planning services Improve access to information for professionals and community Teenage birth rates are up to 3.5 times higher than Victoria, Raise awareness and support for these regional priorities We recorded the highest rate of As part of our commitment to raise Chlamydia in Victoria awareness; sexual and Inside this issue: Forum discussions clearly reproductive health data was demonstrated a willingness to submitted as part of local regional strategies explore partnerships to support government municipal health and wellbeing planning and also strategies elsewhere shared via the media. Our network now includes 15 research & resources organisations, covering 8 of our We continue to seek out 11 LGA's, encompassing opportunities to understand local professional development 3 Hospitals, Primary and Community priorities and develop mutually Care, Health Promotion, PCP's, beneficial partnerships. Partnerships improving strategies in the Grampians region rural women's sexual Working across the region we often learn about initiatives improving women's sexual wellbeing. This is an opportunity to profile excellent work underway locally. "women who have "Increased awareness, affordability and advanced supply of emergency good knowledge of emergency contraception, along with improved training of pharmacists and contraception medical practitioners, have the potential to significantly lower unplanned pregnancy rates in Australia" are easily able to access it, have earlier use, maintain use of prior contraceptive methods are not more likely to engage in Rural Northwest Health: risky sexual behaviour Emergency Contraception use emergency contraception repeatedly" With the knowledge that the local The emergency contraception, pharmacy closes at 12pm on Postinor, has now been available in Saturday and is not open again Urgent Care at RNH for until Monday morning; and that approximately 12 months. research shows emergency Contained in blank envelope for contraception is most effective the privacy the package includes: earlier it is taken after unprotected sex: Rural Northwest Health (RNH) Emergency Contraception and Chlamydia Brochures have supported the idea of dispensing Emergency Contraception in Urgent Care. A Contact Card and Women's Health Nurse Referral Form Women's Health Nurse, Michelle Schilling, initially raised the idea Urgent Care staff will offer for a with the Nurse Unit Manager, nurse to call and discuss future Rural Northwest Health have Nurse Practitioner and Clinical appointment/s, contraception needs campuses in Warracknabeal, Service Manager, feeling their or any other issues. Hopetoun and Beulah support would be paramount for If required, RNH is prepared to meet covering the northern part of effective dispensing of emergency the cost of the emergency Yarriambiack Shire. contraception as it is felt that this is For further information about Supportive of the idea the Nurse a minimal cost compared to the long this initiative please contact: Unit Manager, Jodi Lake, term emotional, physical and Michelle Schilling convinced the local doctors and financial costs of an unwanted Women's Health Nurse pharmacist this was a product Rural Northwest Health Urgent Care needed to offer local At this stage emergency contraception has not been 5396 1238 The briefing provided for ward and accessed via Urgent Care, however urgent care staff introducing the community health has received 2 idea was well received, and, RNH enquiries, giving an indication that have not had any complaints or the information is spreading in the concerns from staff or community strategies outside the region Sharing knowledge of sexual health strategies underway outside our region aiming to inspire ideas locally. Australian Chlamydia Control Effectiveness Pilot ACCEPt recently shared which testing interventions worked best: Department of Health and Ageing commissioned this trial to assess A universal offer to test all young whether annual chlamydia testing in people had the greatest impact on general practice can lead to a reduction in the incidence of chlamydia. Routine testing, such as providing a urine jar to patients at registration, Baseline testing of over 4,000 young ‘there is just as resulted in 28% more testing. people has shown there is just as much chlamydia much chlamydia in men (5.2%) as in Multifaceted approaches including in men (5.2%) computer alerts, training, resources and incentive payments increased as in women (4.3%)' ACCEPt therefore recommends annual testing for all sexually active people aged 16–29 years. Linking a chlamydia test to a routine In recognition of an increase in pap test, increased testing by 50%. chlamydia prevalence and risk of If the trial leads to a reduction in complications this approach is now chlamydia, it may result in a government reflected in the national screening program. A report of final findings is expected in December links to research or resources Unplanned Pregnancy Decision Based on the belief that women are in "Unplanned the best position – morally, legally and The Royal Women's Hospital takes a practically – to make a decision based on pregnancies are very woman-centred approach to their strengths, limitations and pregnancy options, providing clear, resources. This guide is a useful impartial and evidence-based resource for women or anyone In Australia, there are information on the choices women supporting a women with an unplanned around 200,000 each can make for the difficult decision to continue or terminate their unplanned professional development 2013 Australasian Sexual Health SEXrurality Conference Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health (CERSH) 23-25 October Darwin CERSH: SEXrurality Rural practitioners, policy makers and Aimed at all health professionals this advocates will be presenting current 19-20 August Shepparton conference will focus on: projects, evidence and research • emerging models of care WHG will present our improving sexual health and wellbeing in • the latest research on sexuality and work on developing a rural setting. sex education, and, partnerships to support • the changing face of sexual health The program is now available online: the Grampians region nationally and internationally Reasons why the RU486 PBS listing is so important On 30 June Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek announced that mifepristone and misoprostol would be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. An article published by Daily Life shared reasons why this is important: RU486 has been safely used by ABC Statewide Drive recently millions of women in more than 40 covered a story based on countries for several years statewide research developed It is a safer, less invasive procedure by Women's Health Grampians It opens the possibility to improve and the regional women's access for women in rural and health services. regional Australia Our research highlights there are still considerable barriers for women in rural Victoria in trying to access family planning services Lower cost means all women, like contraception and abortion. equally, will have the right to choose, and The interview with Patty Kinnersly, CEO WHG, explored the impact of concerns about privacy, availability of services, difficulties with travel Quoting Tanya Plibersek, "by or transport and a lack of information. offering this different option at a Dr Claire Pickett from Ballarat Community Health Sexual Health Clinic very difficult time in a woman's life, I also provided a first hand account of some of the challenges for local hope that we are giving more choice women, in particular young women, in trying to access confidential in what are often extraordinarily services and affordable contraception. difficult circumstances." We encourage you to read the article and listen to the interviews The PBS listing will take effect from 1 available online at Please contact Women's Health Grampians if you would like to contribute ideas or feedback to this newsletter
Grampians Region: overcoming barriers for rural women accessing family planning services Women's Health Grampians along with our key partners have been holding discussions about how to support regional services to improve women's sexual and reproductive health across the Women's Health Grampians Grampians region. 2 Drummond Street South Ballarat VIC 3350 Our focus is on family planning including contraception, pregnancy counselling, abortion and the professional development needs of Ballarat West VIC 3350 service providers. Phone: 03 5322 4100 We readily acknowledge that many organisations across the region Fax: 03 5332 8980 have a long history of working hard to address these issues. With this E-mail: [email protected] in mind the aim is to build on existing relationships, and develop new connections, to enhance current work, add capacity, and where relevant, provide a new range of initiatives. Acknowledging Key Partners: The Royal Women's Hospital We welcome opportunities to consider the sexual and reproductive Grampians Medicare Local health issues for women in our region. Ballarat Community Health

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