News

The reach and connectivity of one of Australia’s key online mental health peer support services is set to increase today with the integration of the SANE Forums into Marathon Health’s website.

Country Australians with lived experience of mental health difficulties, or caring for someone who does, can now connect and share experiences in a free, anonymous and safe online community.

Bryan Hoolahan, Marathon Health’s Executive Manager of Health Services, says the partnership between Marathon Health and SANE Australia aims to connect those with limited mental health support options into a welcoming and safe community.

This Friday the team at headspace Bathurst invite the community to join them in wearing purple for Wear it Purple Day 2018 – a day to celebrate our rainbow young people.

“We’re wearing purple on Friday to show that we embrace and celebrate diversity, and believe that respect and empathy are vital in creating a harmonious and supportive community,” comments Karen Golland, Community and Youth Engagement Coordinator at headspace Bathurst.

Over 20% of young people accessing the headspace Bathurst centre identify as LGBTIQA+, in response the centre currently facilitates SPECTRUM, a social group for young rainbow people that meet fortnightly.

Empowering and celebrating our rainbow community has always been a priority for headspace Orange and this Wear it Purple Day is no exception.

Born out of the need to recognise and respect sexual identity and diversity, Wear it Purple calls on communities across the world to wear purple and come together in support and love of our LGBTIQA+ friends, colleagues and family members.

Sharna Lord, headspace Orange Community Engagement Officer believes it’s important to celebrate LGBTIQA+ centric awareness days to create communities that encourage young people to thrive regardless of sexuality or gender identity

In recognition of Wear it Purple day this Friday, the team at headspace Queanbeyan are encouraging the community to join them in wearing purple in celebration of all same-sex attracted and gender diverse young people.

Wear it Purple began in 2010 in response to growing concerns over the psychological wellbeing of young LGBTIQA+ people who were being subjected to archaic stigmas associated with sexual and gender diversity.

The team at headspace Queanbeyan are proud allies of the rainbow community and look to actively support and promote LGBTIQA+ centric Awareness Days to raise the profile of the rainbow community and encourage greater understanding of sexual and gender diversity.

Empowering and celebrating our rainbow community has always been a priority for headspace Canberra and this Wear it Purple Day is no exception with staff dressing in purple in celebration of the annual LGBTIQA+ day of celebration.

The Wear it Purple movement was born out of global recognition that more could be done to empower and support young rainbow people. The movement calls on communities to recognise and respect sexual identity and diversity.

In recognition of Speech Pathology Week, Marathon Health, as one of the largest employers of speech pathologists in country NSW, is raising awareness about the accessibility challenges the 1.2 million Australians with a communication difficulty face every day.

The theme for Speech Pathology Week 2018 is Communication access is communication for all; a theme that Sian Draffin, Marathon Health Speech Pathologist, says is about removing the barriers to effective communication, to enable people with a communication difficulty to participate fully in the social, educational, economic and sporting aspects of community life in Dubbo and the Central West.

As the temperatures fluctuate and flu season lingers in the background, Marathon Health are calling on the community to remember to save the Emergency Department (ED) for emergencies only and take full use of the After Hours services available.

Brittany Boniface, Marathon Health Regional Manager, Western, says the After Hours initiative is one of many services managed by Marathon Health which assist our communities in accessing better healthcare closer to home.

According to research presented through the MPHN, “supported self-management strategies” have been indicated as a means to close the divide in health inequalities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Marathon Health’s Integrated Team Care (ITC) program actively works to create tailored care coordination services to address this research.

Kate* a Boorowa local, says the service has been instrumental in assisting her care for her husband who has been diagnosed with Dementia.

“My husband had been having a lot of falls ... I gave up work to become a full time carer for my husband as I was worried about him being on his own,” Kate comments.