This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:
This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:
The visionary project which aims to address vital needs in the community has been made possible thanks to the funding announced today as part of the Australian Government’s urban Precincts and Partnerships Program (uPPP).
The WCH Foundation secured land within Adelaide’s Northern Health and Wellbeing Precinct thanks to a generous philanthropic donor with a desire to build capacity for people of the North. The WCH Foundation, working with values-aligned partners across sectors, has developed the vision for the Community Health and Wellbeing Hub which will positively impact the health outcomes of families in Adelaide’s northern region. The project will strengthen and extend our support of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network’s statewide reach, with the aligned goal of delivering care “closer to home”.
Today it was announced that the WCH Foundation’s application for additional funding to develop this vision was awarded by the urban Precincts and Partnerships Program (uPPP).
Community Health and Wellbeing Hub in Adelaide’s North. Image is for illustration purposes only.
This funding will enable the Foundation and its collaborators to create a welcoming space dedicated to improving family health and wellbeing. The facility will offer a wide range of services, with a focus on early child development, pregnancy and parenting support, and programs designed to strengthen community connections.
Key features include a student-led allied health clinic offering affordable care, facilities for trialing new models of care, and sleep rooms to support parents of babies in LMH’s Special Care Baby Unit. Additionally, parents will have the opportunity to engage in programs designed to build valuable lifelong skills.
The project represents a collaborative effort to address vital needs in the community, particularly for families in the formative first five years of a child’s life.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Australian Government for their contribution to this project. This milestone is a testament to the commitment of everyone involved and the belief in the power of partnership and collaboration. The Community Health and Wellbeing Hub has the potential to make a profound difference to a region experiencing entrenched disadvantage. We are excited to be one step closer to bringing to life our vision of a vibrant community resource that fosters health, learning, and connection to the people who need it most,” says Verity Gobbett, CEO WCH Foundation.
Stay tuned as we progress on this exciting journey to create a brighter future for families in the North!
The Chad Hancock Cancer Foundation, which wound down earlier this year, was established in 2005, in memory of Chad Hancock. Chad was a young adult who battled with cancer for four years before passing away in 2004 at the age of 22.
Through the ongoing support of the founders, the program provides funding to assist with support services for young adults in South Australia and the Northern Territory, aged 15-28, who have been diagnosed with cancer.
This includes financial assistance or things such as utility bills like rent and power, vehicle registration or transport for treatment, accommodation and travel costs, food and fuel vouchers, wigs, education expenses and physio intervention.
As well as this, we support gym memberships and exercise physiology as part of the Youth Cancer Service SA/NT cancer and exercise program.
25-year-old Jackson was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) at the age of 24 and is part of the Youth Cancer Service exercise program.
“He says, “I was doing small movement up until about seven months ago, when I was good enough to start doing this stuff. Before that, they would come to my place and to the hospital, and it was just a lot catch with a kilo medicine ball and things like that. I was down to about 50 kilos, so I was very limited, I couldn’t do a whole lot. Some days, they would just move me around, just lifting my legs and things like that because I couldn’t.”
“Then when I was fit enough, and I got the tick from my hematologist to start coming to gym, we started coming and doing this. It’s been good in the past six months to start putting on weight and being able to do more actual strength work.”
“It’s good meeting people through the Youth Cancer Service too, that’s been really nice meeting people who have gone through similar sorts of things.”
21-year-old Elias started with the program just over two years ago after doing some rehabilitation after surgery.
He says, “There have been two different kinds of benefits, both physical and personal.”
“When I joined the gym group, I was very shy and reserved, and I didn’t really have an opportunity to meet anyone in my situation – young people going through cancer health treatment. So I was able to develop friendships, meet other people, kind of network and gain new friends, but also physically learn how to exercise safely in a manner that benefits me and isn’t at risk of putting myself in danger with my different health parameters.”
“As my individual journey has progressed, it’s kind of developed into more of a mentorship program in which I can experience and receive quality mentorship and guidance in a safe, controlled environment where my individual needs are met, with the ability to have access to good equipment and very highly trained professionals.”
“I think it’s very important that we’re supporting people to have access to this kind of support.”
Young people can access the Chad Hancock Support Program upon referral by the Youth Cancer Service.
Find out how you can get involved!
Next time you head into your local BIG W store, keep an eye out for opportunities to support families.
Purchase a roll or two of BIG W’s new charity wrapping paper, featuring drawings from children’s hospital patients from across Australia! There are a few designs to choose from for $5 each.
On your way through the checkout, pick up a $2 token. Designed by Women’s and Children’s Hospital patients, these tokens can either be taken home to be hung on your own tree, or added to the in-store display.
Both options will see 100% of proceeds from South Australian stores being donated to the WCH Foundation.
Join BIG W in a world-record attempt with their BIG W Wrapathon!
On Saturday 7 December, 10am-4pm, they’ll be hosting Australia’s biggest wrapathon by wrapping gifts for customers throughout the day. For a donation to the WCH Foundation, you can save yourself the hassle of wrapping presents and get one of the friendly staff members or volunteers at your local BIG W to take it off your hands.
Patients and families will also get to experience the holiday spirit during their visit to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital thanks to the team at BIG W.
They’ll be decorating Christmas trees in the lobbies of the Hospital, and are sending their good buddy, Santa, for a visit to patients on Christmas Eve before he starts his trip around the rest of the world.
Thank you so much BIG W for spreading such BIG cheer this festive season!
The Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation has teamed up with Hospitals United for Sick Kids – Australia’s only national alliance of hospitals for children, foundations, and paediatric services to help sick kids get home, back to the things they miss.
They are committed to reducing the disruption that being in hospital can have on children and their families by investing in the latest research, treatments, programs and equipment to decrease the amount of time they are away from the familiarity and comforts of everyday life.
Hospitals United for Sick Kids is here for all kids, all diseases and all injuries.
To learn more about how you can help, follow @hospitalsunitedforsickkids.
Hospitals United for Sick Kids raises funds through their partnership with Coles Supermarkets and other major national retailers. Whenever someone purchases a select “purposeful product”, that retailer makes a donation to Hospitals United for Sick Kids, who then supports programs that help us to keep kids out of hospital where possible, and make the experience less disruptive where it is not.
This year, HUSK is supporting the Music for Wellness program at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, providing specialized music to alleviate symptoms of trauma by integrating into the soundscape of an Intensive Care Unit.
Funds will also support research to develop a diagnostic tool to rapidly diagnose and treat chronic lung infections in rural and remote communities across South Australia and Northern Territory.
Buy a bottle of limited edition Mum’s Sause from your local Coles supermarket and 50c from every sale will support Curing Homesickness.
You look good. Kids feel better. Lowes will donate $10 from every bucket hat sale to Hospitals United for Sick Kids.
We love this pasta dish featuring Mum’s Sause! It’s the perfect winter-warmer meal, PLUS by purchasing Mum’s Sause you’re helping sick kids in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Sausage and Mushroom Pasta
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
375g pasta shells
500g Coles No Added Hormones Australian Beef Sausage with Herbs & Garlic, casings removed
200g cup mushrooms, sliced
500g bottle Mum’s Sause Bolognese
60g packet Coles Australian Baby Spinach
Flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve
Shaved parmesan, to serve
Method
A group of ANZ Team Members spearhead an event planning committee to arrange the event, supported with an initial gift from ANZ. The proceeds from ticket sales, silent and live auctions, a car raffle and other activities are split amongst the charities. This event has been known to provide between $25,000 and $35,000 to each of the major charities, and promises to grow with each passing year!
The ANZ Ball takes place in March each year. Be sure to join our mailing list to get notified the next time tickets go on sale.
A number of our corporate partners have run campaigns that have allowed the community to show their support for women, children and families cared for by the Women’s and Children’s Health Network.
Check out the work of these amazing organisations!
BIG W held an Easter token campaign that raised $23,000 to support a dedicated breastfeeding space in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Customers could purchase a bunny token to be added to the wall of their local store.
The company also donated chocolate bunnies to help patients celebrate Easter in the Hospital.
Customers could purchase a $2 donation card at the checkout of Coles stores to help sick kids get back home to the things they miss.
Money raised in South Australia and the Northern Territory will go towards our Cocoon Program – a dedicated clinic for babies under 12 months old who are in, or at risk of entering, foster care.
Costco held three VIP non-member shopping nights again this year.
For a donation upon entry, anyone who was not already a Costco member could experience a shopping spree at the Adelaide store.
Existing members could also donate by purchasing a token at the checkout.
We were thrilled to be this year’s charity host for the ANZ Community Ball.
The night was great fun and raised over $200,000 for a host of local charities, including the WCH Foundation, Guide Dogs SA, Lifeline SA, Childhood Cancer Association of SA and Cure4CF.
Bunnings held a statewide community sausage sizzle as part of their Easter Family Night that raised over $6,000. The company then made an additional donation, which brought the total to $7,500 which will support children and families in our community.
For another year, Trading Metals has generously donated a portion of proceeds from their scrap metal business, providing around $25,000 again over the past year.
16-year-old Dilraj has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe type of muscular dystrophy, and is cared for by the Hospital.
His family found out about our Laklinyeri Beach House through a disability group they are a part of, and were keen to visit after hearing that it was a fully accessible holiday home – something that is a rarity for them.
Dilraj’s mum, Manpreet, explains, “Most places are not accessible for holidays, and if you do go for an accessible house, it’s very expensive. We can’t afford it. So we were very lucky to get into the Beach House.”
The Beach House in Victor Harbor is purpose-built and medically equipped for families of children in palliative care, or with complex medical needs.
Dilraj and his grandparents at the Beach House.
The size and layout of the house allowed the family to invite others to join them, including Dilraj’s grandparents, and a friend who also has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Despite visiting in summer, the group caught some bad weather but took the opportunity to make the most of the house, playing games and watching movies. The teenagers especially loved the excuse to video game.
In between the rain, they got out to experience Urimbirra Wildlife Park with the memory-making vouchers provided by HAS Foundation, and took a trip to the jetty.
The highlight of the trip though was just being able to get away to a place they knew Dilraj could fully enjoy.
Manpreet says, “Dilraj liked the room because it’s very big – he doesn’t have this much space at home!
“Most of all he liked the bathroom because everything is accessible.”
Dilraj with his dad, mum and sister in the Beach House cubby house.
The service completes approximately 11,000 preschool health and development checks each year, which is just over half of the cohort of four-year-old children in South Australia.
As part of the four year health and development checks, vision screening is imperative in identifying issues that are detectable and treatable. Early identification and treatment of eye and vision problems aims to optimise vision prior to starting school and reduces the likelihood of permanent vision loss.
Ellora engaged in her vision screening test with a Kay Picture Test book.
We provided CaFHS with $18,000 to fund the purchase of 122 Kay Picture Test vision screening books – the ‘gold standard’ for vision assessment of four- to five-year-olds. Children engage in the fun ‘game’ of identifying the book’s pictures from a distance to test their eyesight during their preschool checks.
The books are significantly more user-friendly and age-appropriate than the previous charts used and are highly accurate and readily portable.
Four-year-old Ellora found the test lots of fun, making assessing her vision quick and easy!
Fiona Grant, CaFHS Acting Advanced Clinician, says, “The vision screening books will support a more user-friendly and best practice screening approach for the early detection of vision problems in young children.”
“This tool will support referral for further assessment and treatment if required before a child starts school and will positively impact their commencement in formal education.”
Ellora showing off this wonderful new tool for vision screening.
When a baby is born early, they can face extra challenges breastfeeding because they cannot often feed directly at the breast. Breastfeeding rates in babies born late preterm are lower than those born at term. For mothers with late preterm babies cared for at Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH), breastfeeding initiation is over 90-95% and decreases to 77% by discharge home.
Current research, funded by the WCH Foundation and conducted by Dr Amy Keir, aims to establish improved supports for breastfeeding women with late preterm babies to increase these rates. Led by Dr Keir, the multidisciplinary team includes Lactation Consultants Susie Jones, Laura Summers and Jess Ramsay who are also nurses and/or midwives from the WCH.
Investing in research to increase breastfeeding rates.
The research has shaped a greater understanding of the challenges families and healthcare professionals face in providing breastmilk to babies born early and how to overcome them.
Dr Keir explains, “Preliminary results show that the project has already positively impacted clinical practice with the development of improved sustainable systems and is showing improvement in breastfeeding rates of babies on discharge from the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.”
This study is one of many we have supported aiming to improve the health and wellbeing of women, children and families under the care of the WCH.
To help us continue to invest in health and medical research in South Australia, click here.
"*" indicates required fields