anneleise michael

2011 \ Edition 1
MAKING WAVES
quarterly publication of Barwon health
INSIDE THIS EDITION
OT department
celebrates
50 years
Meet your
Executive Team –
Lucy Cuddihy
Pg 3
Pg 6
Our committed
Volunteers
Pg 8
Meet the 2011
face of the
foundation
Pg 10
Front cover /
Nicholas Blackney is the face of the 2011 Geelong
Hospital Appeal which is raising funds for the
redevelopment of the Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward.
CONTENTS
Message from the CEO
01
VOLUNTEERS
Quality of Care magazine – out now!
02
End of year celebrations
08
New Medical Day Stay Unit opens
02
Commitment shines through in festive season
08
Occupational Therapy Department celebrates 50 years
03
Supporting our volunteers award
09
Good communication - great care
03
Betty Murphy celebrate 45 years at Barwon Health
09
Barwon Health staff Christmas party
04
Nurses bound for Uganda
09
Staff acknowledgements
04
News from Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Services
05
BARWON HEALTH FOUNDATION NEWS
05
Young patient set to launch the 2011
Geelong Hospital Appeal 10
BMI in 2011
Executive Profile
06
11
Choir program on song with Geelong community 06
Gala Day brings colour to the streets of Geelong
12
New interns a boost for Barwon Health
07
The Geelong Community raises almost $80,000 for the Geelong Hospital
Children’s Ward
Upcoming Events
12
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
Welcome to 2011. I trust everyone had a safe and relaxing
holiday period and is ready to gear up for another big year.
I’d firstly like to reflect on the recent events in Queensland and
spare a thought for the hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders
affected by the recent floods and Cyclone Yasi. We’ll no doubt be
seeing the effects of Mother Nature’s fury for quite some time.
Many of our staff were also impacted by flooding in Victoria in
the weeks following. Please know my thoughts are with you and
your families.
As you know, Barwon Health’s Strategic Plan 2010/2015 was
launched in July 2010. This year we will be reporting on how we
are tracking in achieving the priorities – Your Health, Our Service,
Our Region and Our People – set out in the Plan.
These achievements will be in the form of a ‘Report Card’, which
is our way of keeping the community informed about how we
are progressing. Keep an eye out for these updates soon on
Facebook (www.facebook.com/barwonhealth) and the Strategic
Plan website (www.barwonhealthstrategicplan.org.au).
I’m delighted to announce the appointment of Felicity Topp to
the position of Executive Director of Medical Services. Felicity
was formerly the Director of Operations at the Royal Melbourne
Hospital and will commence with Barwon Health on 21 March.
Felicity has joined the Executive team as a result of the
appointment of Sandy Morrison to the newly created position of
Executive Director of Service Redesign and Innovation.
SUNDAY
April 3
2011
10am - 3pm Johnstone Park
24-28 Gheringhap Street, Geelong
(Melway Ref 401 F3)
For details, please call 5260 3810
I congratulate both Felicity and Sandy on their new and
challenging roles. Their appointments reflect the strategic
direction and plan for Barwon Health to meet the challenge of
becoming the best regional health service provider in the country.
In other staff news, I extend a warm welcome to our 37 new
medical interns who joined the Barwon Health team in January
for their pre-vocational training. No doubt it will be an intense
but rewarding year for them.
David Ashbridge
CEO
\ 01
Quality of Care
magazine – Out now!
In mid-February, 120,000 copies of Barwon Health’s 2010
Quality of Care magazine were distributed to households across
the Barwon region via the Geelong News, The Echo and Barwon
Health sites.
As part of Barwon Health’s commitment to increase community
awareness of activities and achievements within the
organisation, the Quality of Care magazine is produced annually.
New Medical Day Stay Unit opens
A specialist medicine review conducted in 2010 highlighted the need
for a dedicated medical day stay service to meet the growing demand
for same-day medical procedures at Barwon Health.
On 6 December 2010 this service came to fruition with the new
Medical Day Stay Unit launched in room 10 of BC6 North.
The 2010 edition features a variety of community focused
stories, such as playgroup at Percy Baxter Lodge, the Well for Life
Program in Norlane and online respite services.
Some of the features of this new service include additional recliner
chairs and beds for procedures to allow for greater flexibility to
schedule multiple visits at a convenient time for the patient.
We trust you will enjoy reading about your health service and
look forward to your feedback.
Within the first six weeks the Unit has cared for 126 patients,
averaging over four per day. The majority of patients are having
biological infusions, iron infusions as well as lumbar punctures, post
biopsy recovery and other investigations/procedures.
The Quality of Care magazine is available to download at
www.barwonhealth.org.au or hard copies are available from
the office of Communications and Marketing on Heath
Wing two.
It is clear from the initial response that demand for this service will
only increase over time and the new Unit has assisted in freeing
up valuable capacity in Andrew Love Centre, Gretta Volum Centre
and inpatient beds. The Unit cares for patients efficiently, with the
majority of patients able to get back to their normal daily routine
within four hours.
It has been a very smooth opening thanks to a number of
Departments who have assisted with the organisation of the Unit.
A special thank you must go to Associate Unit Nurse Manager
Michelle Sawers who is currently working in the Unit. Her expertise
has been invaluable in ensuring a smooth transition for the current
patients.
The Medical Day Stay Unit is currently open from Monday to Friday
0800 to 1600hrs. There is capacity for four recliner chairs as well as
beds for recovering patients after procedures.
If you wish to enquire about booking a patient into the Medical
Day Stay Unit please phone 5260 3428.
Photo: Associate Unit Nurse Manager Michelle Sawers pictured in the
new Medical Day Stay Unit.
02 /
Occupational Therapy
Department celebrates 50 years
The Occupational Therapy (OT) Department at Barwon Health
celebrated their annual OT forum on 28 October, 2010. The
forum also marked 50 years since the employment of the first OT
at Barwon Health.
Invitations were extended to past OT staff to celebrate the
milestone, along with current OT staff. During the forum a panel
spoke on past, current and future plans for OT services at Barwon
Health. There was also an opportunity to look at displays of
recent presentations and photographs of past staff.
Guest speaker Dr Craig Hassed, Deputy Head of the Department
at the Monash University Department of General Practice spoke
on Mindfulness: For managing stress, enhancing motivation and
improving performance.
At the conclusion of the forum the annual Barwon Health OT
Achievement Award winner was announced; the recipient was
Miriam Hatcher.
Miriam is employed as an Occupational Therapist on the GEM Unit
at The McKellar Centre.
Miriam’s colleagues said Miriam typified Barwon Health’s values.
“Miriam is a caring and skilled health professional. She is highly
respected by her clinical and discipline colleagues which is
highlighted by her involvement in a number of key
multi-disciplinary projects in the Inpatient Rehabilitation
Centre,” they said.
This year Miriam completed a project to review efficiencies in
staff management and clinical practices of the Occupational
Therapy service within the Inpatient Rehabilitation Orthopaedic
Unit. The result has been a more timely response to new
admission assessments and reduced delay in discharges from an
OT perspective.
Photo: The OT department recently celebrated 50 years of service
to the Barwon community.
Good communication – great care
Good communication skills are an essential part of every
health care professional’s daily work. In palliative care, good
communication is vital as staff work with people and their
families to ensure that end of life care provides relief for pain and
the often intense social and emotional experiences by all those
involved.
Dr James Tulsky, Professor of Medicine and Nursing, and Director
of the Palliative Care Centre at Duke University in Durham, North
Carolina, reports that good communication leads to greater
adherence to therapy, higher patient satisfaction and trust, and
less aggressive treatments at the end of life.
Dr Tulsky was in Geelong as the Keynote Presenter at the
“Innovations – updating professional practice in palliative care”
Conference hosted by Barwon Health Palliative Care Program at
Crowne Plaza Torquay, during October.
Dr Tulsky addressed a gathering of 200 health care professionals
from across Australia, presenting on evidence gathered in his
years of work on doctor-patient communication, and specifically
on how to improve communication with seriously ill people.
He was joined by Professor Michael Ashby, from University of
Tasmania, who is internationally renowned for his work on ethics
at the end of life, including decision making about treatment
cessation, nutrition and hydration, and advance care planning.
The conference also hosted the launch of the Patient-centred
diabetes care at the end of life: guidelines to support health
professionals – a presentation of research findings and a practical
tool for use by health professionals, conducted by Professor
Trisha Dunning and her team.
This innovative research provides practical evidence based
information for health professionals who are working with people
experiencing diabetes at the end of their life.
More information can be obtained from Prof Dunning and her
team at Barwon Health.
Photo: Professor Tricia Dunning.
\ 03
Barwon Health Staff
Christmas party
Barwon Health celebrated the festive season with the annual staff
Christmas party held at The Pier, Geelong. Over 500 staff attended
the event which featured live entertainment and spectacular views
of Geelong. The Hollywood Glitz and Glam theme brought some great
fashion to the red carpet with notable appearances by Paris Hilton,
Audrey Hepburn, Lindsay Lohan and even Santa.
Thank you to all the staff who attended the event.
Photos from the Christmas party can be accessed via Facebook,
visit www.facebook.com/barwonhealth.
Photo: Staff arriving at The Pier for the Hollywood-themed
Christmas party.
Staff acknowledgements
Twenty-six years ago Nannette Mannix began a successful and
enduring working relationship with Barwon Health. Nanette, who
was one of the original ward clerks appointed at Barwon Health in
1985, announced her retirement late last year after many years
of dedication and commitment. We wish Nanette all the best for
her retirement and acknowledge her service to Barwon Health.
In other staff news, there have been several new appointments
across Barwon Health. Dr Christine Somerville was appointed
to the role of Director of Renal Services and commenced in
January 2011. Christine has been a committed renal and general
physician of Barwon Health since the early nineties. Christine is
known throughout the organisation for her excellent clinical and
diagnostic skills and her compassionate and empathetic approach.
04 /
This appointment sees the departure of Dr John Agar who served
in this role with distinction since 1978. John was instrumental
in establishing dialysis services in Geelong at this time and
has driven and promoted the considerable growth of the Renal
Service (and Home Dialysis).
More new and significant appointments include that of Scott
Randall (pictured above) to Director of Building Support Services
and A/Prof Richard Harvey to the position of Clinical Director of
Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol Services.
Scott, an engineer, is already well known to many at Barwon
Health from his previous role as manager of Linencare. Scott
has fabulous people skills and will further develop systems
and processes in this directorate. Scott takes over from Stuart
Pickering who departed Barwon Health in 2010. Ken Knocker,
manager of food services, has taken on management of
Linencare.
The position Richard takes on was previously held by Executive
Director Tom Callaly since 1996. Richard has worked with
Barwon Health for seven years after occupying a number of
senior positions in the UK. Congratulations to Scott and Richard.
Palliative Care Consultant, Dr Rosalie Shaw, has been awarded
an Order of Australia Medal for her services to medicine.
Dr Shaw has worked at Barwon Health since 2010 and her
medal particularly recognises her work as Executive Director of
the Asia-Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network prior to joining
Barwon Health.
Congratulations Dr Shaw on this fantastic recognition!
Photo: Scott Randall has been appointed as Director of Building
Support Services.
BMI in 2011
News from Mental Health,
Drug and Alcohol Services
The Perinatal Emotional Health Program commenced in late
2010. The exciting new initiative involves three staff, Karen
Spinks, Jo Nunan and Catherine Teague, under the leadership of
Bill Kuluris.
The program is providing early intervention services for women
at risk of or experiencing perinatal mental health problems.
Staff will work in close partnership with maternity services in
Geelong Hospital and with maternal and child health services in
the community, to provide support and mental health care for
women during pregnancy and up to 12 months after the birth of
the child.
The program runs during normal business hours from Monday to
Friday.
The Mental Health Triage team has received new funding
to enhance their service to our community. A seven-day,
4pm – 12pm phone position has been created to allow for the
other Triage staff to focus on Emergency Department (ED)
presentations over this busy period. Helen Leeson and Kerri
Cornish have been appointed to this role.
In addition, a follow up position has been created to provide
support to people that presented to ED, who will not be case
managed by our mental health teams, (and have been referred
elsewhere) but need support to link with other agencies and
prevent crisis situations in the future. Karen Bourke-Finn will take
on this full time role. A peer support (consumer and carer) phone
line will be implemented in the future as part of this initiative.
BMI McKellar Centre – increased access to state-of-the-art
imaging
Building works at BMI McKellar commenced in early February
in preparation for the opening of two additional ultrasound
rooms at this centre. This will see waiting times for ultrasound
substantially reduced during 2011.
BMI anticipates a phased opening of the McKellar site, with initial
plans to commence a five day x-ray service for McKellar patients
and the Geelong community. All patients will be welcome to
have their imaging at McKellar, with convenient on-site parking
available.
Interventional Suite Installation – Siemens Artis Zeego
Building works are currently in progress at BMI Geelong Hospital
in preparation for the installation of the Siemens Artis Zeego
interventional suite in March 2011.
The revolutionary robotic design integrated in the Artis Zeego
allows the physician to move the C-arm to almost any position
around the patient, providing almost unlimited freedom of
movement, without compromising access for the proceduralist
and anesthetic team and providing enhanced patient comfort.
The software in the Artis Zeego will allow use of the patient’s
previous images (e.g. CT and/or MRI) to be combined in
real time with high resolution fluoroscopic and CT images
to guide interventional procedures such as embolization/
chemoembolization in the treatment of tumors.
Computer-guided interventional procedures will be aided by
inbuilt CT capabilities allowing for procedures such as joint
injections, bone biopsies and certain soft tissue biopsies to be
moved from conventional CT.
\ 05
EXECUTIVE PROFILE
Get to know your Executive Team! Each edition will feature
a different member of the team.
Name
Lucy Cuddihy
Birthday
Are you joking? August horoscope
Choir program on song with
Geelong community
Job title
Executive Director Nursing & Midwifery,
Access & Patient Flow and Aged Care
Business leaders in Geelong gathered at the McKellar Centre in early
February to discuss the development of a community choir program at
a lunch hosted by Barwon Health.
Where were you born?
Brisbane
An initiative of Creativity Australia, ‘Geelong Sings’ is a mixed
community/business choir which rehearses on a weekly basis and
performs at charity and special events throughout Geelong.
When did you join Barwon Health?
2005
What other jobs have you had?
Worked in children’s health for more than 20 years
Do you have any pets?
Dog, T-Rex from the Lost Dog’s Home
Most embarrassing moment
Invited to Government House Tasmania and wore a dress that
was a perfect match for the drapes and chairs in the Lounge
Room
Favourite TV show
Spooks - BBC drama
Something that most people wouldn’t know about you
Grew up in a country pub in Wallumbilla, S.W. Queensland
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Walk on Fisho’s Beach at sunrise
Biggest challenge for the next 12 months
Balancing the budget
The choir involves executives and employees from various Geelong
organisations, migrants and other disadvantaged people from various
local agencies.
Choir members range in age from 16 to 80 years old and represent
many nations, faiths and backgrounds.
The aim of the choir is to bridge social capital as well as identify,
mentor and employ some of the disadvantaged members. For all
participants, it is an opportunity to develop leadership potential, build
self-esteem, communication and innovation skills.
The Geelong choir is conducted by young choral conductor Kym
Dillon and performs a variety of music including Australian songs and
favourite hits such as Amazing Grace, You’ll Never Walk Alone, I am
Australian and Waltzing Matilda.
Following the delicious three-course lunch by McKellar Centre chefs,
guests were treated to a performance of ‘La Vie En Rose’ by Creativity
Australia founder Tania de Jong and then discussed how they could
get involved with the choir.
Find out more by visiting www.creativityaustralia.org.au
Photo: Tania de Jong from Creativity Australia outlines the
development of ‘Geelong Sings’, during a three-course lunch at the
McKellar Centre for local business leaders.
06 /
Name
Anneliese Jens
New interns a boost
for Barwon Health
January 2011 saw the largest ever group of interns commence
their first year of pre-vocational medical training with Barwon
Health and its partners in southwest Victoria.
The group underwent an intensive orientation program over four
days, commencing on 11 January.
In another first, the main lecture theatre in the new Barwon
Health Deakin Medical School TTR building was used as the
orientation venue.
The 37 interns come from all over Australia and various medical
schools.
Approximately 40 per cent are Melbourne University graduates,
40 per cent Monash University graduates, with the others coming
from Tasmania, Notre Dame in WA, University of Queensland,
ANU, and Flinders University in SA.
Their year will include compulsory rotations in medical, surgical
and emergency departments, with optional placements in
specialised areas including rural-based, psychiatry, rehab, urology,
respiratory medicine, renal, orthopaedics, core medicine and
general practice.
Where are you from?
Torquay
Where did you study?
Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA
Why did you apply for placement at Barwon Health?
Barwon Health has a great reputation and I wanted to move
back to the region. I missed my friends, family and the fantastic
beaches.
Area of medical interest?
Not sure yet but medical rather than surgical.
What’s your initial reaction to your first month ‘on the job’?
There’s so much to learn!
Is there anything you have learnt that they didn’t tell
you about at uni?
How to take a lunch break!
What aspect of your internship are you looking
forward to most?
It’s all new and exciting.
Where will you be placed as part of your internship?
I will spend all of my time at Geelong Hospital. My rotations
include gastroenterology, general medicine, general surgery,
Emergency Department and vascular.
We warmly welcome our newest doctors to the Barwon Health
family and wish them well in their endeavours.
We took time out to speak to one of our new interns and find out
more about their experience so far…
Photo: Our newest doctors in their first week of on-the-job training.
Dr Anneliese Jens
\ 07
VOLUNTEERS
End of Year Celebrations
Every year Barwon Health recognises the contribution of
its volunteers with an end of year celebration. In 2010, the
celebrations were held on December 7 at Geelong Hospital and over
230 volunteers attended the event.
Barwon Health Volunteer Services would like to thank the Volunteer
committee who helped prepare and set up the event. Special
thanks also go to Ken Knocker, Rosa Marino, Peter Fleet and the
wonderful Food Services staff for providing an outstanding meal
and hospitality once again.
As part of the celebration, there were presentations of long service
awards to some very special volunteers who have dedicated many
years to the organisation and shown a great commitment to Barwon
Health.
CEO David Ashbridge attended the event and said he was
overwhelmed by the dedication of our volunteers.
“I was amazed at how long some people had been volunteering at
Barwon Health; one volunteer had been with the organisation for
over 30 years.
“We should be very proud to have such a large community presence
at Barwon Health thanks to our volunteers. They bring warmth and
commitment to our service.”
Congratulations to all volunteers and thank you for your unwavering
support.
Photo: Food Services provided a traditional Christmas dinner
for volunteers at their end of year celebration at Geelong Hospital.
08 /
Commitment shines
through in festive season
The holiday period can be a very busy affair in the health care industry.
Thanks to volunteers at Barwon Health, the traditional holiday period
went smoothly with volunteers assisting wherever and whenever
necessary.
Patient support volunteers were on hand to comfort people who were
in some form of care at a time when they would have usually been with
family preparing for Christmas.
Thank you to those volunteers for providing care to patients during the
festive period. Thank you also to our information Desk Volunteers who
have kept the messages running as well as supporting visitors to the
hospital and giving them assistance as needed.
A very special mention to Lawrie Frost who volunteers at the Geelong
Hospital Information Desk. Lawrie has given up his Christmas Day
for the past few years to provide service on the Information Desk for
visitors and staff and we thank Lawrie sincerely for his efforts and
commitment.
Photo: Volunteers provide assistance to staff and patients in many
areas of Barwon Health, including Hydrotherapy at The McKellar
Centre.
VOLUNTEERS
Supporting our
volunteers award
The Supporting Volunteers Award for this quarter goes to Beth
Cherry and Danni Flowers who provide great support to all our
wonderful Volunteers across Barwon Health.
Danni and Beth are situated within the Barwon Health Foundation
offices on Ryrie Street. Beth and Danni consistently provide
volunteers with assistance, information, and advice along with
a friendly smile and positive attitude. They assist the volunteer
staff with messages, and support new volunteers with directions
to information sessions and updates on orientations, as well as
information on upcoming events.
They go above and beyond the call of duty, which is why they are
this quarter’s recipients of the Supporting Our Volunteers award.
Betty Murphy celebrates 45
years at Barwon Health
Betty Murphy (pictured above) recently celebrated her 45th
year volunteering at Barwon Health as a Catholic Chapel support
volunteer. Along with organising the rosters and recruiting people
from her local church, Betty is involved in collecting people from
the different lodges and bringing them together to the chapel for
communion.
“I remember quite some years ago having communion in the
carpentry shed, due to renovations to the chapel,” Betty said.
“Many people have come and gone throughout my 45 years; at
different times we’ve had primary school students assisting at the
Chapel, and we have a wonderful reliable team helping out at the
present.”
Betty is part of a working group to bring all the religious
denominations together to share resources and do minor
improvements at the chapel.
Barwon Health would like to extend thanks to Betty for the
outstanding service she has provided to our community.
Photo: Betty Murphy enjoys her volunteering role and says
it’s a privilege to do it.
Nurses bound for Uganda
Three Barwon Health nurses are preparing to go to Uganda’s capital
of Kampala in April to work in a volunteer capacity at Jordan House
Children’s Home which is part of the not-for-profit organisation Operation
Uganda.
For Karen Evans and Libby Ellis (Emergency Department) this will be their
second journey to the Kampala slums, volunteering their time and skills
to help this poverty stricken community. For Louise Mayall (Community
Health - Corio) this will be her first experience that will no doubt be an
adventure of a lifetime.
The nurses will have plenty of hometown help; they are part of a team
of 12 self-funded volunteers from Geelong who have backgrounds in
health, education, IT and community service. The team are taking on
many projects including child health checks, dental health, professional
development with local teachers, maintenance at the Children’s Home
and local Primary school.
The nurses will provide health clinics to orphaned children at Jordan
House Children’s Home and the vulnerable children from the slum
community of Kasubi. Simple health checks, de-worming and health and
hygiene education for more than 300 children will be conducted over a
two week period. They will also conduct simple health checks and HIV/
AIDS education at the local primary school.
The team from Geelong is totally self-funded and need to raise funds
to complete various projects; donations would be greatly appreciated to
help achieve this.
You can visit www.geelong2uganda.com for more information
or contact Karen or Libby through the ED.
Photo: Karen Evans (left) and Libby Ellis (right).
\ 09
BARWON HEALTH
FOUNDATION NEWS
Young patient set to launch the
2011 Geelong Hospital Appeal
Eleven-year-old Nicholas Blackney has had a
difficult journey in life.
Nick was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was only a
month old. Nick is the face of the 2011 Geelong Hospital Appeal
which is raising funds for the redevelopment of the Geelong
Hospital Children’s Ward. The 2011 Appeal was launched at a
function held at the Gordon Gallery on February 16; with guest
speakers Joel Selwood and Dr John Massie, a Cystic Fibrosis
Specialist from the Royal Children’s Hospital; both important
people in Nick’s life. This exciting project will make a huge
difference to the many children from the region, like Nick, who
visit the ward each year. Here, Nick’s mum Lyn shares their story:
When Nick was only a newborn he dropped below his birth
weight and was admitted to the special care nursery at the
Geelong Hospital. Once he returned to his birth weight, they did
all the tests available and found nothing. We then took him home
and while he was at his grandmother’s in Inverleigh, he had a fit
and we took him to the local doctor.
Our doctor referred us to Dr Bernie Jenner who admitted Nick
to hospital where they did the heal prick test again and found
he had Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease
that affects a number of organs in the body (especially the
lungs and pancreas) by clogging them with thick, sticky mucus.
Unfortunately there is no cure for CF.
After the diagnosis, we went up to the Royal Children’s Hospital
to learn how to look after Nick, as we hadn’t heard of CF before
then. Part of this education included instructions of how to do
physio and what medicines to take.
10 /
Nicholas started having tune-ups at Geelong Hospital at three
years of age, mainly once a year during winter when he had
chest infections. However his visits to hospital became more
regular, so Dr Massie at the Royal Children’s Hospital organised
him to go into Geelong Hospital every three months which he
has done ever since. These regular visits have meant he doesn’t
get many chest infections now.
The other thing the doctors were concerned about was his
weight, as Nick was growing faster than he was putting on
weight, so they started to give him drink and food supplements,
which worked for a while, however his weight once again slowed
down. As Nick’s weight constantly rose and dropped, the decision
was made to get Nick a feeding tube in September.
It has helped Nick gain weight and on 13 December last year,
his long feeding tube was changed to a button and the plan is
to get a port for his medicines for when he is in hospital, instead
of a long line in his arms as the veins in his arms wouldn’t work,
which we hope will make the administering of medication a less
traumatic experience for Nick.
Nick’s favorite nurses on the kids ward are Andrew, Jackie and
Andie, but he thinks all the nurses are great, along with the
other ward staff and cleaning staff.
The staff also sometimes arrange for Nick’s hospital visits to
coincide with the Geelong Football player visits as they know
he is a huge Cats fan. He was particularly excited when the
2009 Premiership Cup came to the ward and also when he had
the opportunity to run out onto the ground for the St Kilda vs
Geelong final last year as the team mascot. Nick, his dad Paul,
his brother Joshua and I all thoroughly enjoyed the day as we
are all huge Geelong fans. Nick’s favorite player is Joel Selwood,
who he has now met twice. This year we hope to get a family
membership and go to all the games! Whilst Nick would love to
play footy, unfortunately his feeding tube means that this type
of contact sport is not possible.
Nick does, however, enjoy playing basketball and has been
playing with Pivot City and is showing some real talent. His
favourite Supercats player is Nathan Herbert who recently came
to see Nick in hospital and brought Nick a basketball with his
signature on it. He also enjoys playing and practising basketball
with his brother Josh at home and he plays games on the
PlayStation with dad Paul and Josh.
The staff at the Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward are great and
they have all looked after us so well when Nick is in hospital.
The Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward Redevelopment will make
a big difference to our visits to hospital and we look forward to
seeing the exciting project completed.
Photo: Nicholas Blackney, the new face of the Geelong Hospital
Appeal.
Gala Day brings colour to the
streets of Geelong
The 94th G-Force Gala Day Parade in November saw thousands of
children and families take to the streets of Geelong under perfect
blue skies to watch the colour and excitement of the parade
featuring floats, dancers, children’s characters and special guests.
Popular children’s characters Dora the Explorer, Angelina Ballerina
and SpongeBob Squarepants, along with clowns, animals and
children all brought the parade to life.
The event raised $55,000 for the Geelong Hospital Appeal and the
re-development of the children’s ward.
Special guests including Peter Hitchener, Bay FM’s Laurie and
Paula along with Supercats players, Rolling Entertainment from
‘Australia’s Got Talent’ and Empress Stilt walkers added some
colour and star power to the parade, along with local favourites
Half Cat and the Geelong Football Club players.
The huge crowd also made their way to Steampacket Gardens
where families were treated to a children’s stage programme,
carnival rides, market stalls and show bags, and were left amazed
by the wonderful water display provided by the VWSA Ski Stunt
Show on Corio Bay.
The Barwon Health Foundation thanks G-Force and all other Gala
sponsors for their support with this event.
Photo: The 2010 Gala Parade was a sea of colour and movement.
\ 11
EVENTS
CALENDAR
The Geelong Community raiseS
almost $80,000 for the Geelong
Hospital Children’s Ward
Thousands of participants hit the pavement on 21 November in
the annual Cotton On Foundation’s ‘Run Geelong’ to raise funds
for the Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward Redevelopment.
More than 8,000 people chose to run or walk the 6km or 12km
event in perfect weather, which was the second year of the
event, to raise $247,710 for the redevelopment.
Participants donned their running gear, with a few choosing
crazy outfits in a bid to take out the prize for ‘best dressed’, all in
the name of fun and fundraising.
The event was also a chance to catch a glimpse of local sporting
stars with a number of Cats players such as Joel Selwood,
Cameron Ling, Jimmy Bartel and many more players taking part in
the event to support the local cause.
Event organiser Scott Rantall was amazed at the support and
numbers for the event, “We set a target of 10,000 for this
year’s event, not sure if we would even get close, so to reach
over 8,000 participants was an amazing feat considering just
over 2,500 registered for last year’s event. This is now the
largest regional fun run in Victoria and we hope that next year
we can increase this event further taking our goal to 15,000
participants.”
Scott Rantall also had the honour of winning the 12km men’s
event along with female winner Amanda Thompson.
12 /
The Barwon Health Foundation thanks the Cotton On Foundation
and other associated sponsors for their amazing support.
Photo: Face of the event and young patient Georgia Siddall with
Event ambassador Joel Selwood.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Barwon Health Foundation hosts a series of events
throughout the year to raise money for the Geelong Hospital
Annual Appeal. Please contact us for more information on any
of the following events:
Easter Egg Hunt – Sunday 24th April 2011
The Our Women Our Children Volunteers host their annual Easter
Egg Hunt in the gorgeous surroundings of Bellarine Estate
Winery on Easter Sunday. The family friendly event gives kids
the chance to hunt for chocolate Easter eggs and join in the other
fun activities on offer. Parents can also enjoy the entertainment
and the local food and wine available to sample. For tickets
contact 0418 518 883.
Hot Chocolate Day – Friday 20th May 2011
Keep away the winter chills and raise money for the Appeal by
getting your workplace, social group or friends together for an
indulgent morning tea. Host your own hot chocolate party or visit
one of the participating cafés around town who will be donating
a portion of their hot chocolate takings on the day.
Geelong Hospital Appeal Giving Weekend –
Queen’s Birthday Weekend
The Geelong Hospital Appeal culminates in a weekend of
telethon, highway collections, tin shakes and other activities.
Dig deep and show your support by making a donation.
Bronte’s Ball – Saturday 29th October 2011
Help celebrate the life of young cancer survivor Bronte Russell
and help raise funds for the Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward
at the 2011 Bronte’s Ball held at the KD Stewart Centre, Deakin
University, Waurn Ponds.
Catwalk for Cancer – Sunday 9th October 2011
Sophisticated, world-class fashion has come to Geelong.
Top Melbourne designers are set to dazzle audiences with
magnificent race-wear and pieces from their spring/summer
collections at a stylish fashion event raising funds for the Andrew
Love Cancer Centre.
Gala Day Parade and Family Fun Day – Saturday 19th
November 2011
Join in the fun and colour of this iconic Geelong event when the
Gala Day Parade and Family Fun Day celebrates its 95th year.
Following the parade, head to Steampacket Gardens for the
Family Fun Day including rides and entertainment for the kids,
market stalls, food and showbags. A great day out for the whole
family!
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www.barwonhealth.org.au
Barwon Health Locations
Geelong Hospital
Bellerine Street, Geelong T 5226 7111
Corio Community Health Centre
Gellibrand Street, Corio T 5260 3800
Belmont Community Health Centre
1-17 Reynolds Road, Belmont T 5260 3778
Torquay Community Health Centre
100 Surfcoast Highway, Torquay T 5260 3900
McKellar Centre
45-95 Ballarat Road, North Geelong T 5279 2222
Newcomb Community Health Centre
104-108 Bellarine Highway, Newcomb T 5260 3333
Belmont Community Rehabilitation Centre
120 Settlement Road, Belmont T 5260 3290
Anglesea Community Health Centre
McMillan Street, Anglesea T 5260 3901
Please note: this is not a complete listing of Barwon Health sites.
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