Eurobodalla Health Service Community Representative Committee Chair Brad Rossiter, warmly welcomed the Committee at the first meeting for 2017. He noted that 2017 will be a busy year for the Eurobodalla Health District, beginning with a number of events in February. The month begins with Health Weight Week from 13 – 19, Wear Red Day – part of Heart Research Month on February 14 and International Childhood Cancer Day on February 15. For the entire month of February, there is Febfast which encourages people to give up alcohol and sugar to raise funds for disadvantaged youth. There is also a Bowel Cancer Campaign, Don't Wait Until It's Too Late. The committee welcomed Linda Brown, who took us through her personal experience of end of life care, and the importance of focussing on the whole family, not just the patient, and how this creates a more informed and positive experience with the quality of care. Our Community Engagement Manager Renata Sheehan reported on her recent trip to New Zealand. Renata experienced an innovative program at Counties Manukau Health that focusses on the quality of patient experiences. There are many ideas that can be implemented in our District to increase our models of patient care, including being culturally respectful. General Manager of Eurobodalla Health Services Lisa Kennedy, once again gave her detailed report. More people are using our Facebook page and we are making extremely useful connections with other community groups, including health service community consultations. Chair Brad Rossiter reminded the committee that Kidney health week will be on March 5 – 11 this year. There will be a special day on Friday March 10 at the Bridge Plaza, Batemans Bay. The local Primary Health Network, Coordinare, is seeking community members to take part on a Consumer Health Panel. This is an online health forum, where community residents can share views and help shape the future of the local health care system. Complete a form at http://www.coordinare.org.au/consumerhealthpanel
