General News
8 July, 2024
Industry advocate offers assistance to board
Business and industry advocate Wimmera Southern Mallee Development (WSMD) has had "informal" discussions with Grampians Health following its offer to assist the region's biggest health service provider.
WSMD sent a letter to the board of Grampians Health requesting a meeting to discuss opportunities and challenges in relation to potential health services amalgamation.
WSMD has as its aim to lead and push for responsible economic growth ensuring future livability and success for regional communities while working with the community, state and federal governments.
This includes advocating for healthcare access, WSMD chief executive officer Chris Sounness said.
"Health is not our core area of expertise but health is such an important part of liveability in our community," he said.
"We all know rural health services are far more than clinical services - there’s emergency care and there’s aged care.
"There’s the whole range of different services that the health service delivers.
"Even the procurement in country towns is the important part because health services are generally the biggest employer in just about every town we go into."
Mr Sounness said WSMD could provide some insight and help to get a better outcome for communities.
"We know if we want to increase liveability in the communities, better health services are integral," he said.
"We know we have certain changes going to occur. It's not trying to prevent change, it's trying to shape the change so that it's done with understanding of the context of situations."
"We just want to have that discussion with Grampians Health and see if we have the opportunities to provide support, and highlight things they can do and how they have some really good people in these services who actually understand the local context, and make sure that doesn’t get lost."
WSMD held a workshop co-hosted by West Wimmera Health Service, Rural Northwest Health and East Wimmera Health Service, in Warracknabeal in April.
It focused on leveraging evidence-based approaches in rural health, analysing local health outcome data, examining population growth and identifying strategies to address future community needs effectively.
A potential health services amalgamation has been flagged by the state goverment, which could see 76 health services merged into 12.