Healthy illawarra

®

Healthy illawarra

® Making it better – Together

Healthy News

1Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc | ABN: 83 964 176 052 Healthy People Illawarra Inc | ABN: 92 138 765 971

Ground Flr, Princes Highway, cnr Chapman Street, Fairy Meadow 2519 Postal address: PO Box 607, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

Telephone: +61 2 4283 8111 | Facsimile: +61 2 4283 8555 | Email: admin@healthyillawarra.org.au Web: healthyillawarra.org.au |Funded by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

Healthy illawarra

®

Healthy illawarra

® Making it better – Together

Healthy NewsNewsletter August 2014 | Issue 2

This Issue

Welcome to the August Newsletter

Recent changes to funding of programs will see both opportunities and difficulties

moving ahead from Healthy Cities Illawarra. Opportunities as Healthy Cities continuously deliver programs that meet the needs of the less fortunate but also address disease prevention. Our ability to collaborate and partner with other non-government organisations, businesses and academia allows us to showcase how to engage and deliver diverse programs to our communities.

All our programs are aligned with a number of critical plans that drives the health needs of our communities addressing the social determinants of health on various levels. These plans include the NSW State Health Plan – towards 2021, the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) plan the State Population Health Plan and the Healthy Eating Active Living Plan. We also reference reports from the Illawarra Shoalhaven Medicare Local and the latest reports regarding physical activity.

Maree Kerr, General Manager

Difficulties arise when funding bodies prefer to fund a program for a 12 month period only. Often this is not enough time to gain traction with the program, to evaluate the results of the program effectively and then to allow the program to be sustainable.

Moving forward I will be attending the Alliance for Healthy Cities conference in Hong Kong in October. Exposure to international conferences is vital as it allows the opportunity to identify what other countries are doing to sustain healthy cities and healthy people. This year the

conference is focusing on the main theme of “Health in all Policies” with three sub-themes of a) Age Friendly Cities, b) Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases and c) Public Health Emergency. It is expected that 700 delegates from different countries or cities from the Western Pacific Region will attend this year’s conference. Attendance by delegates from the World Health Organisation gives me first hand access to the latest information and trends internationally.

News from HCI President (pg2) Stir it up! (pg3) Illawarra Active Transport Taskforce (pg4) Smoke free Illawarra (pg4) Child Friendly by Design (pg5) Horsley’s Outdoor Krew (pg6) Driveway safety (pg6) Sexual Health, UPDATE (pg7)

Nowra 5 x 5 event (pg7) 3 ways you can make a difference (pg8) Social media (p8)

Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc | ABN: 83 964 176 052 Healthy People Illawarra Inc | ABN: 92 138 765 971

Ground Flr, Princes Highway, cnr Chapman Street, Fairy Meadow 2519 Postal address: PO Box 607, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

Telephone: +61 2 4283 8111 | Facsimile: +61 2 4283 8555 | Email: admin@healthyillawarra.org.au Web: healthyillawarra.org.au |Funded by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

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Brian Pember,Health Promotion Officer Men’s Health

A Message from HCI PresidentDavid Fildes, President Healthy Cities Illawarra

Road Trip!

Our friends at Wollongong Council put on a bus for men from the Coniston and Kanahooka Men’s Sheds to visit some suppliers of second-hand building materials.

The tour of Whyte’s Gully was an eye-opener regarding the amount of waste we produce as a community. We were all impressed with the way our waste is being managed and the care that is being taken to protect our environment. The newly relocated Revolve and Recycling Centre sparked off a lot of ideas; one person’s trash being another person’s treasure. Likewise, for AAA Recycling at West Dapto.

The 2nd place we visited was an impressive machine shop. Some of the men with backgrounds in

machining were awestruck with the machinery and the commitment to not only a quality product but also a quality service.

From there it was a walk to Red Point Furniture Restoration then back in the bus to the Australian Hard Wood Joinery at Woonona, with the trip capped off nicely at Coastie’s Big Shed at Corrimal, always a source of inspiration.

For the men on the trip, many of us are retired, some retrenched, and some of us are a bit road worn ourselves. Some of us feel like we have been discarded on the scrap heap. That is not a good feeling; it can knock us around emotionally and even physically. Men’s sheds can make a big difference to who we feel about ourselves. If you’re feeling

Coniston Men’s Shed

In the previous edition of this newsletter I spoke about the variety of projects Healthy Cities Illawarra is involved in. We have been supporting the people of the Illawarra now for over 25 years and plan to do so for the next 25 years. I just want to take a moment to talk about why the Illawarra is fortunate to have the Healthy Cities movement in our region.

Much has been said in the media recently about the growing divide in Australia between the rich and poor. A recent survey conducted by Oxfam highlighted that the wealthiest one per cent of Australians have more money than 60 per cent of the population. Of over 1000 people surveyed almost 80% said the gap between rich and poor had widened over the past ten years. This level of inequality means that the poorest Australians are becoming increasingly marginalised and as a result lack the support they need to improve their lives.

Battling this level of inequality is at the heart of the Healthy Cities movement. There is heaps of evidence to suggest that there are big differences between the health status of different social groups. In simple terms, the lower an individual’s socioeconomic position, the higher their risk of poor health. This is referred to as the social determinants of health and even in Australia people who are less well-off have shorter life expectancies and more illnesses than their rich counterparts.

So, what are we doing about this? Whilst hospitals and access to a GP are important, health policy is much more than the provision of funding for medical care. We must also focus on the social and economic conditions that make people ill. Healthy Cities Illawarra aims to tackle these social and economic differences by providing support and targeting its projects to the people in our area that need it most.

For example:

The Coniston Men’s shed provides an avenue for some of the Illawarra’s most disadvantaged men to come together, socialise and work on meaningful local projects such as building picnic benches for local schools.

Our Stir it up program trains up volunteers to promote healthy eating in low-income communities of the Illawarra. Volunteer peer educators have provided thousands of healthy eating activities such as cooking demonstrations, talks, supermarket tours, involvement in community gardens and facilitating cooking groups.

The Smoke Free Illawarra initiative is working with a variety of local government and community groups to reduce the prevalence of smoking and reduce people’s exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the region.

The recent Nowra 5 X 5 initiative provided an opportunity for residents of the Shoalhaven to get involved in a fun community walking/running event which promoted healthy exercise habits.

a bit second hand get yourself to a shed! 

Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc | ABN: 83 964 176 052 Healthy People Illawarra Inc | ABN: 92 138 765 971

Ground Flr, Princes Highway, cnr Chapman Street, Fairy Meadow 2519 Postal address: PO Box 607, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

Telephone: +61 2 4283 8111 | Facsimile: +61 2 4283 8555 | Email: admin@healthyillawarra.org.au Web: healthyillawarra.org.au |Funded by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

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In the past month, Stir it up! has seen eighteen new volunteers complete their initial TAFE-run training which will equip them to become peer-educators and promote healthy eating in their communities. These volunteers include eight women from the Shoalhaven Aboriginal Community who, having successfully completed their course, will receive a Certificate II in Access to Work and Training.

The Shoalhaven peer-educators have been busy conducting a variety of healthy food activities at Cullunghutti Aboriginal Child and Family Centre in East Nowra, including participating in recent NAIDOC week events. Their counterparts in the Illawarra have also been passing on their skills and knowledge in a variety of ways and at different venues, including teaching children about healthy eating at the 2528 Project at Crew Park in Warilla and running cooking demonstrations and healthy eating activities for Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Multicultural Health Service Groups, Barnardos and Illawarra Multicultural Service.

As part of ongoing support for our volunteers, the Project Team run regular ongoing training and catch-up sessions. Stir it up! volunteers enjoyed a fabulous morning at Port Kembla Community Centre (PKCC) learning the finer points of how to make the traditional bread ‘burek’. PKCC volunteers, Christine and Kara, demonstrated how to knead and stretch the dough, before assembling the layers with fresh spinach and feta. The bread was then beautifully cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven at the Centre.

Stir it up! is a healthy eating peer-education project coordinated by Healthy Cities Illawarra and Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Health Promotion Service

Jenny Norman, Health Promotion Officer

Community Programs

Stir it up! UPDATE

in partnership with TAFE Illawarra Outreach Unit, Shellharbour City Council and Cullunghutti Aboriginal Child and Family Centre (Nowra).

For more information about Stir it up! http://foodfairnessillawarra.org.au/projects-stories/stir-it-up/

Stir it up! is coordinated by Illawarra Local Health District Health Promotion Service and

Healthy Cities Illawarra.

Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc | ABN: 83 964 176 052 Healthy People Illawarra Inc | ABN: 92 138 765 971

Ground Flr, Princes Highway, cnr Chapman Street, Fairy Meadow 2519 Postal address: PO Box 607, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

Telephone: +61 2 4283 8111 | Facsimile: +61 2 4283 8555 | Email: admin@healthyillawarra.org.au Web: healthyillawarra.org.au |Funded by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

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Smoke Free IllawarraNicci Butt Campaign LaunchSmoke Free Illawarra (SFI) in partnership with Wollongong City Council has launched its Nicci Butt Smoke Free Mall Campaign. A health marketing campaign to further educate the public that Crown Street Mall is a smoke free area. The mall became smoke free on the 1st November 2013 and this is now a new stage of increasing public awareness of Wollongong City Council’s smoke free policy.

The campaign adopted a fun, bright and cheeky style to assist Wollongong City Council in delivering the message through newsletters, signage, social media, event marketing, websites, and radio.

SFI launched the 3 month-long campaign on the 25th July in the mall alongside the busy Friday market crowd. It was there where Wollongong’s Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbury supported the launch with a media opportunity with WIN News.

Throughout the day SFI also provided materials and resources to support mall users in becoming smoke free.

Having a smoke free mall will assist in reducing mall user’s exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, reduce former smoker’s urges, decrease visibility of smoking to children, and also create a cleaner butt free mall.

Across NSW and the Illawarra inconsistencies in standards and regulation of cycle facilities development is causing confusion with cyclist and motorist rights. The IATT is working towards establishing greater consistency in Illawarra cycle facility development to create a safer cycle environment.

IATT

Healthy Cities Illawarra continued to coordinate the Illawarra Active

Transport Taskforce (IATT), a group comprising representatives from community organisations, government and business with a key focus on creating urban

environments which encourage and support active transport for the

Illawarra population.

The IATT networking hub which support active transport enabled the sharing of knowledge and expertise between its members to assist and inform SHellharbour City Council

and Kiama Municipal Council in their planning and development of -:

cycle paths,

signage,

and mapping routes.

Image Sourced: http://www.theage.com.au

Evan Gee, Health Promotion Officer Community Environment

Image sourced: http://www.sydneycyclist.com

Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc | ABN: 83 964 176 052 Healthy People Illawarra Inc | ABN: 92 138 765 971

Ground Flr, Princes Highway, cnr Chapman Street, Fairy Meadow 2519 Postal address: PO Box 607, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

Telephone: +61 2 4283 8111 | Facsimile: +61 2 4283 8555 | Email: admin@healthyillawarra.org.au Web: healthyillawarra.org.au |Funded by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

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Voices of ChildrenWhen the 3rd stage of the Child Friendly by Design Project commenced in the 2528 postcode of Shellharbour, local children and families were invited to engage in a number of consultation strategies to put forward their views and ideas for Crew Park a local open space.

One of the aspirations from children was that the park had more trees, plants and gardens to make the space more attractive, provide shade and encourage birds, insects and other wildlife.

Children discussed fake flowers and pretend trees, natural elements and rocks that would stop vehicles driving on to the park – this evolved into the idea of a Community Art Garden and the subject of the 2014 National Tree Day Event.

Leading up to the day children took part in an art workshop to tell the story of their connection to place. They were asked to design art work that would be used on art poles to be installed into the art garden. Their pictures told the story of the local, culture and community. They drew pictures of the activities that they liked, the friends that they made and animals they saw in

the park. One child drew a pair of eyes telling us that these eyes would look over

the park to keep it safe.

Holcim at Albion Park worked with the group and donated over 7 ton of bluestone from the local quarry. The 7 1metre x 1metre rocks were delivered by Holcim’s business partners Gates Haulage and installed into the park gardens by Yatcon Civil. All three business donating the resources, plant equipment and operators to support the initiative.

On July 27th 2014 over 70 people came to the park. Dad’s came armed with shovels and picks, kids with smiles and a willingness to help, Warilla North Baptist Church provided morning tea and a volunteers to help with a park makeover, Shellharbour Council helped with plants and gardening advice for families and Stir It Up Volunteers prepared lunch for the busy group.

Child Friendly by Design (CFbD)Nikke Gladwin, Health Promotion Officer Child Friendly by Design

7 Art Poles, 50 plants, a tree, a painted bench and picnic table, garden stepping stones were added to the rocks and created the Community Art Garden at Crew Park.

Visit us at Facebook – www.facebook.com/2528Project/photos to see the photo account of the project.

Illawarra Play DayIn a society of raising childhood obesity, poor mental health in children, increasing levels of self-harm and teenage suicide how can ’just playing’ even begin to help?

At Healthy Cities we understand that play is important to children’s enjoyment of childhood, health, development and resilience and this year we will be introducing a new project to the Illawarra to highlight the importance of play with parents and children’s services.

The year of activity to raise awareness of the importance of outdoor play, reduced screen time and healthy eating will culminate in an Illawarra Play Day – a day to celebrate play, a day when children will reclaim outdoor spaces and do what they do best.

Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc | ABN: 83 964 176 052 Healthy People Illawarra Inc | ABN: 92 138 765 971

Ground Flr, Princes Highway, cnr Chapman Street, Fairy Meadow 2519 Postal address: PO Box 607, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

Telephone: +61 2 4283 8111 | Facsimile: +61 2 4283 8555 | Email: admin@healthyillawarra.org.au Web: healthyillawarra.org.au |Funded by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

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Over the past 30 years, there has been a steady decrease in the rates of children being hospitalised and dying as a result of preventable, non-intentional injuries. This trend is mainly due to greater community awareness combined with advances in the design and technology associated with children’s products (ie; safer cots, child restraints, blister pack medication etc.) and the introduction of key legislation changes and safety standards (ie; swimming pool laws, compulsory child restraint usage, smoke detector legislation etc.)

Frustratingly, there is one category of child injury/deaths where the statistics are not improving – low speed vehicle run overs (mainly occurring in residential driveways). The following facts have been compiled by Kidsafe NSW

The fun and games that have be-come a part of Thursday afternoons in Gerringulli Park, Horsley are set to continue for another 12 months thanks to the generosity of Dapto Leagues Club and a successful ClubGRANT application.

Healthy Cities Illawarra is pleased to announce that our application for 12 months further funding for the Hors-ley’s Outdoor Krew (HOK) Project has been approved! This means that the HOK program, which connects with children aged 9-12 years in

(www.kidsafensw.org)

• Every year across Australia, an average of 60 children are admitted to hospitals with severe injuries from low speed vehicle run overs. In some cases these injuries are fatal. Most low speed vehicle run over incidents involve a parent, relative or friend. Very young children are at greatest risk with most killed or injured being under 5years of age.

• Small children can be impossible to see from inside a car, especially if they are immediately behind it. The rear vision in most cars has a blind spot of up to 3m behind the car – this can easily obscure a child. Even if your car has parking sensors or a video camera fitted, you may not notice a small child until it is too late to stop.

What can you do to inform parents and carers?Healthy Cities Illawarra has a driveway safety display kit which is available for loan (free) and is very easy to use (see photo). There is also a brochure called “Driveway Safety – Are your kids at risk?” which can be ordered from the Federal Department of Infrastructure and Transporthttp://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/publications/2012/pdf/INFRA1498.pdf

Driveway safety - The bad news amongst the good ....

the West Dapto area and supports healthy eating, physical activity and social connections, will continue until June 2015.

Healthy Cities Illawarra gratefully acknowledges the support of Dapto Leagues Club over the past 12 months and their ongoing belief in the importance of supporting the physical and social well-being of local children as they transition into adolescence. Research has shown that there are few services or pro-grams specifically designed to meet

the needs of this age group and their vulnerability at a very formative age.

In September, HOK will undergo a formal evaluation where the impacts and outcomes of the program over the past 12 months will be assessed and documented. Hopefully this will add new insights to the limited evi-dence available on what works best in supporting the health and well-being of children in the “in-between”

Katherine van Weerdenburg Health Promotion Officer

Children’s Health Programs

Katherine van Weerdenburg Health Promotion Officer

Children’s Health ProgramsHORSLEY’S OUTDOOR KREW funding success!!

Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc | ABN: 83 964 176 052 Healthy People Illawarra Inc | ABN: 92 138 765 971

Ground Flr, Princes Highway, cnr Chapman Street, Fairy Meadow 2519 Postal address: PO Box 607, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

Telephone: +61 2 4283 8111 | Facsimile: +61 2 4283 8555 | Email: admin@healthyillawarra.org.au Web: healthyillawarra.org.au |Funded by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

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Healthy Cities Illawarra recently received a NSW Hepatitis Awareness Week community grant in partnership with the Chinese Australian Services Society and Multicultural Health Service, to hold a “Unite against Hepatitis B” mahjong tournament at Coniston Community Centre on the 23rd of July. Nadia SneydMiller,

Health Promotion Officer Sexual Health

Over 50 people took part in the tournament, which kicked off with an information session on Hepatitis B followed by light lunch and a fun afternoon of mahjong. This event was a great opportunity to promote awareness of viral hepatitis and to develop connections with the local Chinese community in the Illawarra.

Hepatitis B is a silent epidemic affecting over 350 million people worldwide. If you would like more information about viral hepatitis please call the

hotline on 1800 803 990 or visit Hepatitis NSW website www.hep.org.au.

Harping on...

Following on from the success of the first event in March 2014 the

committee’s first meeting for the next Nowra 5x5 was held on 11th August. Kim Thompson who worked with us on the Budding Chefs program has a new position in Health specifically for the elderly and is on board to help us with the Nowra 5x5, which is exciting.

We will be submitting another article in the local paper, the South Coast Register, shortly and will be utilizing the local

radio station to help us advertise the event along with the usual

website and Facebook and local networks.

The next Nowra 5x5 begins on 7th October, running for 5 weeks until November 4th 2014.

The one after that has been penciled in for March 2016 towards the end of daylight saving.

So everyone will have a great chance to keep their healthy walking/running habit going by attending this great free event twice a year!

Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc | ABN: 83 964 176 052 Healthy People Illawarra Inc | ABN: 92 138 765 971

Ground Flr, Princes Highway, cnr Chapman Street, Fairy Meadow 2519 Postal address: PO Box 607, Fairy Meadow NSW 2519

Telephone: +61 2 4283 8111 | Facsimile: +61 2 4283 8555 | Email: admin@healthyillawarra.org.au Web: healthyillawarra.org.au |Funded by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

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To donate click the above link or goto http://www.givenow.com.au/healthypeopleillawarraDonations to Healthy People Illawarra maybe tax deductable.

ways you can make a

difference?3

HCI is a community-based, non-profit organisation that is a part of a worldwide movement initiated by the World Health Organisation. We are committed to continued improvement of the health, environment and quality of life of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven community.

Your support helps us create a network of people and organisations who share these common goals.

1Become a member of Healthy Cities Illawarra. We have 2 types of membership one for the individual and the other for an organisation.

Membership fees vary from $11(gst incl) for a pensioner/ senior and $22 (gst incl) for an individual. Organisations have a separate pricing scale depending on the type of organisation and staff numbers. Membership costs start from $44 (gst incl).

2 Make a financial donation. Healthy Cities Illawarra (HCI) is a charitable organisation that promotes community health and wellbeing.

Current activities include: Environmental Health, Community Building, Healthy Urban Design, Healthy Ageing, Child Safety. HCI currently does not have DGR (Donor Gift Recipient) Status, but is pursuing it.

Healthy People Illawarra (HPI) is a charitable organisation that deals with the prevention of specific diseases. Current priorities include: Community Nutrition, Physical Activity, Sexual Health and HIV/ AIDS Prevention, Tobacco Control and Mental Health and Wellbeing. HPI does have DGR Status.

3 Provide in-kind support/ donation. Individuals and organisations can provide in-kind support in many forms, for example: building

materials for a men’s shed project, wavering of venue hire fees for workshops, supply trees/ plants or art supplies for our CFbD 2528 Project, provide food for our Stir it up! volunteers to run a healthy eating activity in the community.

For more information please call us on 02 4283 8111 or email admin@healthyillawarra.org.au

To make a donation goto http://www.givenow.com.au/healthypeopleillawarra