Page 2356 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 2 August 2017
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which this government is particularly proud, is the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children which brings together comprehensive and diverse services, including maternity services, the birth centre, neonatal intensive care, gynaecology and foetal medicine, paediatrics and specialised outpatient services.
As part of this work to make sure we have a range of healthcare options available to suit the diverse needs of patients across Canberra, we are also currently delivering a home birth trial and have recently appointed two endorsed midwives who care for their patients privately in the prenatal period and admit them for delivery at the Canberra Hospital.
We have also designed an early intervention program for early detection of pregnancy-related depression during the antenatal and postnatal periods and made available counselling services for women who may need them. With responses to situations of violence often creating significant financial and social disruption to women and children, the ACT government’s women’s health service offers free nursing, medical, nutrition and counselling services, particularly to vulnerable women in the ACT and region.
To support families where there is alcohol and drug abuse and/or domestic violence, we recently commenced a pilot project to bring together ways to support women and children in these challenging situations. These essential services are characteristic of Labor governments and our efforts to make sure we respond proactively to all the health needs of our community.
MS ORR: Minister, given that Women’s Health Week is coming up from 4 to 8 September, how is women’s health supported in the ACT?
MS FITZHARRIS: Women’s Health Week, indeed, is coming up in just a few weeks and it a great opportunity to raise awareness of women’s health issues in the community. We know from statistics that those social determinants of health mean that women carry a significant proportion of the health burden. The ACT government has a range of ongoing initiatives in place to try to address these issues in the short, medium and long term, some of which I outlined in my previous answer.
One example I would like to draw members’ attention to is the cervical cancer screening program that has been developed. ACT Health also offer the HPV vaccine to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer as well as breast screening for early detection amongst Canberra women. We all know the benefits of preventative health care, and these are just a couple of examples of how we are ensuring that screening and immunisation contribute to women’s positive health outcomes.
The ACT government also provides funding to the Women’s Centre for Health Matters for important work to improve women’s health and wellbeing through the provision of information, education and advocacy, health promotion, social research, community development and capacity building. We also know that some of the major contributors to poor health for women are physical inactivity, obesity, high blood
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