| A Working Party was established in 1988 to evaluate the need for
community health services within the areas of Kerang, Cohuna,
Pyramid Hill and Barham. A report was commissioned then conducted by
Mrs Nan Muir, which provided an assessment of needs. This assessment
was consistent with the plan for service delivery set by the then
Health Department Victoria.
Due to the difficulties of funding a service that crossed the
State boundaries, Barham was exempted from the plan and the three
remaining communities of Kerang, Cohuna and Pyramid Hill were
combined to form the Northern District Community Health Service.
An Interim Committee was elected at a public meeting in 1989.
This committee consisted of four members from each of the
communities concerned. The responsibility of creating a community
health service that truly reflected the communities' needs then
commenced in earnest!
The name, "Northern District", was selected on the basis that it
represented the area covered and did not specify any one community
with ownership!
A Manager was appointed at the end of 1989, who then took on the
role of co-ordinating the establishment of the service. Early in
1990 three part time Community Health Nurses were appointed and we
were underway. Further appointments followed in time to create the
diverse and skilled services currently available.
In 1994 Wheatlands Community Health Service, a neighbouring
Community Health Service that covered the communities of Boort,
Quambatook and Wycheproof, dissolved. The communities of Boort and
Quambatook decided to join with Northern District Community Health
further enhancing the ranges of skills provided. The Wheatlands
Community Health Service had developed from a core of nursing
services in Quambatook, who had the responsibility for the range of
health needs in a community which has very limited services, and
Boort, where the community health worker co-ordinated a range of
services as well as providing counselling support services.
In 1996, after the closure of the Pyramid Hill Bush Nursing
Hospital, Northern District was asked to provide a coordinated model
of service in Pyramid Hill covering District Nursing, Clinic care,
community education and emergency 24 hour first aid.
The Northern District Community Health Service now provides a
wide range of health and welfare services to a population of
approximately 16,000 people spread over an area of approximately
8,000 sq. kms.
The Health issues for these communities have some aspects in
common and others that are specific to the individual community. All
areas are affected to a degree by issues of isolation from major
centres and the services these centres provide. Farming is the major
industry across the area, irrigated dairy, sheep/cattle and some
horticulture and dry land cropping. The fact that these industries
are vulnerable to large swings in commodity prices and the effects
of nature can see incomes in the area drop dramatically at times.
These factors have a strong effect on the health status of the
community. At the annual Board and Staff Planning Meeting changing
health issues for the community are discussed.
Heart, Asthma, Cancer and Diabetes diseases are significant in
our communities. Some other areas seen as requiring attention are:
family relationships, aged care, youth depression, nutrition, farm
accidents and availability of speech pathology, dietitian,
occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry.
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