The G21 Health & Wellbeing Pillar focus on:
- building healthy communities through promoting lifelong health;
- addressing future needs and support for an ageing population;
- strengthening access to health treatment, care and support;
- fostering neighbourhood renewal, capacity building and support;
- strengthening existing collaborative inter-agency approaches.
Following the successful merging of the Barwon Primary Care Forum and the G21 Health and Wellbeing Pillar, the new G21 Health and Wellbeing Pillar is in a very good position to move forward with confidence and strength.
Chaired by Lenny Jenner, the G21 Health and Wellbeing Pillar has embraced a broader regional focus and aims to align the region's Council Plans, Municipal Health Plans and Community Health Plans to arrive at a new set of strategic regional health priorities.
The new Executive has a membership of some of the Geelong Region's most senior and influential health and community service organisations' leaders and represents Community Service Organisations, Local Government Authorities and Health Services in the region.
Through the partnership activities of the Health & Wellbeing Pillar, G21 seeks to position health and wellbeing as a central element to all regional planning processes and outcomes.
The Executive will provide leadership and assist members in the development and implementation of regional health activities by fostering partnerships to deliver primary health care, health promotion and community development initiatives that align with the G21 Geelong Region Plan.
This will involve planning, coordinating and facilitating real improvements in health and wellbeing outcomes for the community. It will incorporate Primary Care Partnership strategies and activities that focus on integrated health promotion, service coordination, integrated chronic disease management and the development of partnerships. The new Pillar Director will facilitate opportunities to incorporate these priorities into the operational work of our partners.
The Executive Committee is already moving to appoint a Director that can build on the outstanding foundation established by Austin Paterson, who recently resigned from the position of Manager of the G21 Primary Care Partnership/ Health and Wellbeing Pillar to accept the position of CEO with the R. E. Ross Trust in Melbourne.
Lenny Jenner says, "It is an exciting time for G21 and the Health and Wellbeing Pillar in particular. The Pillar is well resourced and has great support, not only from the health and community services sectors and local government, but also from other G21 pillars who recognise the synergies between health and other regional priorities. We are looking forward to many successful outcomes."
THE G21 HEALTH & WELLBEING EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Lenny Jenner (Chair) Director, Community Services, Golden Plains Shire
John Fendyk CEO, Bellarine Community Health
Sue De Gilio CEO, Barwon Health
Jason Trethowan CEO, General Practitioner Association of Geelong
Geoff Iles CEO, Colac Area Health
Irene McGinnigle General Manager Community Services, COGG
Greg Fletcher Manager Community Services, Colac Otway Shire
Judy Wookey CEO, Glastonbury Child and Family Services
Rosemary Malone CEO, Gateways Support Services
Jill Evans Executive Officer, Leisure Networks
John Hedditch Manager, Public Health and Service Planning, DHS (Ex-Officio)
Scott Ware Senior Community Engagement Officer, DEECD (Ex-Officio)
Wendy Nuttall Aged & Disability Services Coordinator, Surf Coast Shire
Kerri Erler Acting Community Engagement Manager, DPCD (Ex-Officio)
Dr. Mark Kennedy G21 Board (Ex-Officio)
Andrew Scott CEO G21 (Ex-Officio)
Austin Paterson Manager Primary Care Forum (Ex-Officio)
Context
The G21 region is part of the Barwon South Western Region with health services that cover 29,637 square kilometres of Victoria through to the South Australian border with a population of 400,000 residents.
Barwon Health is the largest hospital and community health service in the Barwon South West Region and the largest regional health service in Victoria.
Barwon Health provides a full range of acute services such as cancer, radiation oncology, cardiology, cardio-thoracic surgery, plastic surgery, vascular surgery and general surgery. A wide range of acute, aged care and community services are provided by Colac Area Health for the people of Colac Otway Shire. Health services are delivered in various forms throughout towns of the G21 region.
Within the City of Greater Geelong and the Borough of Queenscliffe there is a broad range of primary and community care providers such as Bellarine Peninsula Community Health Services based at Point Lonsdale and serving the Bellarine Peninsula, Barwon Heads and Drysdale area.
There are 230 doctors in General Practice in the G21 region. The standard number of General Practitioners (GP's) per 1300 population is one. The State measure is 1.05. There are significant GP shortages in the region and limited GP after-hours services placing pressure on the Emergency Department at Geelong Hospital.
Planning for Healthy Communities in the G21 Region 2006-2009.pdf ( - 1055KB)
Region Report - Health & Wellbeing
Read the Dec 2004 Geelong Business News article on Health and Wellbeing