A lot has changed for the Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit (LMPHU) since it was stood up to combat COVID four years ago.
In addition to COVID and other outbreak response response, the team has taken on new roles in prevention, broader scope of communicable diseases, environmental health and emergency management.
“The unit’s maturity has evolved from an emergency response to COVID to a fully operational local public health unit, with offices in Mildura, Echuca, Castlemaine and Bendigo,” LMPHU Operations Manager Emma Vains said, ahead of the unit’s fourth birthday this month.
On 3 August, 2020, what was then the Public Health Unit Bendigo (PhuB) was established to conduct contact tracing and vaccinate for COVID cases.
Hayley White was there at the start, beginning her career as an admin support.
“I assisted in the setup of the Bendigo Health COVID Vaccination Hub and worked with them in the early days while everyone was still learning,” she said.
“My role has evolved in my four years here, and I have had to adapt to a lot of change, but it has been so rewarding and so worth it.”
Now, the LMPHU has cemented itself as a support for a range of stakeholders across the Loddon Mallee region.
“The team is working across the spectrum of prevention through to response,” Emma said.
“With more than 70 stakeholders across the region, the team are well placed to protect our community for future incidents and outbreaks.
“I am proud to lead such a dedicated team of multidisciplinary professionals across the Loddon Mallee.”
The LMPHU manages 83 notifiable conditions and supports projects to improve mental wellbeing, the effects of climate change on health and creating healthy food systems for all.
They have created documents such as the Loddon Mallee Population Health Plan and support is being provided to councils and other health services to guide policies and change.
There is also work being done in environmental health and providing public health messaging around conditions such as thunderstorm asthma and mosquito-borne diseases as well as emergency management.
Emma said the unit’s future is exciting.
“I look forward to a future where our work contributes to a more equitable and healthier community, reducing the burden of disease on our health service,” she said.
Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Carol-Anne Lever said she was “absolutely proud” of the unit’s progress.
“The staff have been part of a very special team in unprecedented times, the bonds made in that time are both unique and long lasting,” she said.
“This work will continue as the LMPHU continues to define and consolidate its role in community and across the region.”
To learn more about the LMPHU, visit: Bendigo Health Website - Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit