Delivering better health outcomes for our communities

This week Access Health and Community joined community health organisations from across Victoria to formally launch Community Health First.

Here is an excerpt of the speech delivered by Anna Robinson , CEO of Access Health and Community and Chair of the Community Health First steering committee, representing community health at the formal launch at Parliament of Victoria.

This year marks 50 years since community health was established in Australia by the Whitlam Government as part of landmark reforms of our health-care system. Its introduction was designed to encourage a shift towards prevention, a focus on local communities and ensure accessible, affordable primary health care for all Australians.

While other States and Territories have progressively moved away from this model over the last 50 years, Victoria has continued to invest in community health.?As a result we have built a network of services that are deeply connected within their communities, with more than 10,000 workers that reach over half a million Victorians each year.

Our services not only deliver expert, multi-disciplinary clinical care. They also work to address the underlying causes of poor health outcomes such as social isolation, housing insecurity and poverty – the social determinants of health. This integrated model of care ultimately leads to improved outcomes that keep Victorians safe, well and out of hospitals.

The benefits of community health services have never been more apparent than in the last three years as Victoria has responded to fires, floods and a pandemic.

Community health services have been at the front-line of these crises – setting up flood and fire relief centres, rapidly standing up COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics, and knocking on the doors of our most vulnerable Victorians to prepare for and respond to outbreaks.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the over 10,000 community health workers who have been part of that response.

However, as we emerge from the pandemic it has become clear that another crisis is emerging – a crisis in our health care system. As Premier Andrews has identified – Australia’s primary care system is broken. Avoidable hospital presentations have increased to over half a million last year in Victoria alone. Victorians are struggling to access care that is affordable, accessible and timely.?The demand for our community health services has never been greater.

This is why the community health sector has joined together for Community Health First – to work with the Government to respond to this crisis.

By elevating the role of community health within the health system and championing preventative, community-based and integrated health-care, Victoria can lead the way for Australia as we look to reform our health system and ensure Victorians are safe and well in their communities for the next fifty years.

- Anna Robinson, CEO of Access Health and Community and Chair of the Community Health First steering committee

You can sign up and show your support for Community Health First here.

Community Health First partners

• Access Health and Community
• Ballarat Community Health
• Banyule Community Health (now Holstep Health)
• Bellarine Community Health
• Bendigo Community Health Services
• Better Health Network
• cohealth
• DPV Health
• EACH
• Gateway Health Partners
• Gippsland Lakes Complete Health
• Grampians Community Health
• healthAbility
• IPC Health
• Inspiro
• Latrobe Community Health Service
• Merri Health (now Holstep Health)
• Nexus Primary Health
• North Richmond Community Health
• Northern District Community Health
• Primary Care Connect
• Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health
• Sunraysia Community Health Services
• Your Community Health

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