News

Swan Hill Maternal and Child Health Service now open

Mon, 18 May 2015 16:18:00

A Maternal and Child Health Service is being launched for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Swan Hill and district.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services has appointed two midwives/maternal child health nurses to operate the service from the MDAS Health Service Building in Nyah Road.
The MDAS Maternal and Child Health Service will see its first clients on May 19 and is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with potential to expand if demand warrants.
“We really want the service to be what the mums need it to be,” said MDAS Primary Health Care Manager at Swan Hill, Wayne Hewetson.
“The midwives will do home visits, community visits, attend playgroups – really they will go where the mums are.  For the first 12 months it’s just going to be about engaging with people and getting them on board,” he said.
Midwives Kylie Lewis, who is from Swan Hill, and Meredith Rowney, who grew up at Ouyen, will get the service up and running.
“They’re very enthusiastic and approachable.  They want to get out into the community and start bringing families the benefits that come from maternal and child health care,” Mr Hewetson said.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women at Swan Hill have previously had access to mainstream Maternal and Child Health services, but Mr Hewetson said he believed the MDAS-based service would increase attendance rates.
“We know that the attendance rates of Aboriginal women for Maternal and Child Health is well below that of the State-wide figures,” he said.
“But we also know that engaging with these services brings huge benefits in terms of long-term health outcomes, emotional well-being and family resilience.  It’s an opportunity to open up for families access to a whole range of services and support that MDAS provides through its Early Years program.
“A Maternal and Child Health Service that has been set up with cultural considerations for Koori families in mind and where mums feel safe and listened to we think has the potential to make all the difference.”
Mr Hewetson said it was encouraging the Closing the Gap figures showed some improvement to outcomes for younger children, particularly where families were able to access strong support.
“It is slowly improving but getting women and children on board early with health services is a critical step.  This is the place to start – linking people into health awareness for the long-term.
“Things like Aboriginal health checks in the 0-4 age-group allow you to pick up and address potential problems early.  That allows us the opportunity to cut down that long-term burden of chronic disease, which is one of the biggest causes of the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes.
“There are approximately 20 new babies a year born in the Aboriginal community in Swan Hill district, so there are around 100 to 150 Koori children who fall in that nought to five age-group.  Our approach will be to work with the families on a one-to-one level so we can grow these kids up nice and strong.”
The MDAS Maternal and Child Health Service will be officially launched at a family day and barbecue in June.