What’s in your Headspace?

Headspace is an Australian National Youth Mental Health Foundation focused on providing physical and mental health advice and care to people between the ages of 12 and 25.  The foundation has launched a television ad campaign to raise its profile and has a strong presence online where its target audience tend to go first for help. Kellie Marshall, Deputy CEO of the Illawarra Division of General Practice spoke to crossfire about what services Headspace clinics provide.

For more information check out the Headspace website.
If you would like to talk to someone at Headspace Illawarra call: 02 4225 1184

Headspace Illawarra full details

Address: 1A Denison Street Wollongong NSW 2500
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Contact Details: Phone: 02 4225 1184, Fax: 02 4225 0606, Email: headspace@idgp.org.au

The Butterfly Foundation helps Australian with Eating Disorders

Source:thebutterflyfoundation.org.au

The Butterfly Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Claire Vickery to help Australians with eating disorders.

The foundation has recently been granted $500 000 by the Rudd government to organise and head a collaborated project of all Australian research and health clinics who work towards a solution for eating disorders.

Claire Vickery took the time to speak to Crossfire and explain more about the issues surrounding eating disorders and how solutions can be found and put to work.

Will the binge drinking advertisements be effective?

Last year the Federal Government introduced a $53 million dollar scheme to tackle the ‘binge drinking epidemic.’ They introduced measures including the alcopop tax and restrictions on lock out times which were met controversy. Last November the government pledged $20 million dollars to create binge dirnking advertisements. I spoke to the Chief Executive Officer of the Alcohol, Education and Rehabilitation Foundation, Daryl Smeaton about the new campaign and whether he believes it will be effective.

Bulli Hospital’s surgery ward in limbo

A survey of Bulli hospital facilities conducted by the Parliamentary secretary for Health recommends that elective surgery continue after the Christmas; but not indefinitely.

 

Dr Andrew McDonald MP conducted the investigation under the instruction of the Minister for Health, John Della Bosca.

 

Bulli Hospitaloffers elective surgery for ear, nose and throat patients. When the surgery ward is closed, patients will have to travel to Shellharbour or Wollongong hospital for these services.

 

Mr Della Bosca says Bulli hospitals facilities’ will “re-open after the holiday period” and that the decision was good news for the residents. The distant future of the surgery ward is still not known.

 

Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner says it’s obvious the state government is planning to cut the service eventually. “This is simply another delaying tactic by the Health Minister” Mrs Skinner said.

 

Mr McDonald spoke to surgeons and nurses when compiling his report for the state government. “After speaking with surgeons and medical staff, it became clear to me that eventually Bulli Hospital’s elective surgery will be transferred to Shellharbour and Wollongong Hospitals” Dr McDonald said.

 

Mr Della Bosca has said he will determine the future of the surgery ward in the medium term after the Christmas break.

Zimbabwe Cholera Crisis

The continuing humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe has reached a new point with the outbreak of Cholera, a water-borne disease which has killed at least 565 people and infected more than 12,000 in the past two weeks. Those who have contracted the disease have nowhere to seek treatment with hospitals across Zimbabwe having closed. This new crisis, together with an unemployment rate of over 80%, and an inflation rate of 231 million per cent, has led former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to state that Zimbabwe is about to collapse. International Aid Agency, Oxfam has said that the government of Zimbabwe should declare the current cholera epidemic a national health emergency, so that urgent national and international aid can be mobilised to address the outbreak.

INTERVIEW WITH PAUL DAVENPORT OXFAM AUSTRALIA’S ZIMBABWE CO-ORDINATOR ON 28/11/08

Since speaking to Paul Davenport water supplies to the capital, Harare have been cut in an effort to curb the cholera epidemic. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has stated that the country has reached a catastrophic level. “Everything (food, health delivery, education) seems to be collapsing around us”.

Furthermore, in a further blow to the country’s economic state Mr Mugabe has reappointed Gideon Gono, the central bank governor presiding over the world’s highest inflation rate, for another five years.