Pulse Autumn 2023

Pulse

Who we are

DPV Health is a not-for-profit health care ser vices to people of all ages. We are the largest community health provider in Melbourne’s North, operating across five Local Government areas (LGAs): Whittlesea, Hume, Mitchell, Melton, and Banyule.

Our vision

Our vision is seeking to support a healthier and connected community, with excellent care for all.

Acknowledgment of Traditional Custodians and Country

DPV Health acknowledge the Kulin Nations as First Peoples, and Aboriginal traditional owners and custodians of the lands and waters on which we are meeting today and pay respects to their Elders and communities.

Welcome to the Autumn 2023 Edition of “PULSE”.

Exploring this edition of the Pulse newsletter, you’ll find information on pregnancy care, children's dental hygiene and preventative care for other health conditions including diabetes and heart disease.

We are also launching our new Home Care Package service as well as the Aged Care Assist Program, to work with people who require intensive support to access My Aged Care services. You will also see some healthy lunchbox tips and mental health wellbeing for all.

Importantly, I would also like to encourage our communities to prepare themselves and their families for the upcoming flu season by booking into get a flu vaccination and a COVID booster. Both of these can be administered together and will help protect you through the Winter period.

Last but not least, DPV Health are delighted to share we have recently turned 5! Much has happened over the past 5 years with the introduction of many new services and programs to support our growing and diverse community. Additionally, the development of a new 5 year strategic plan reaffirms our direction, passion and commitment to our community.

The DPV Health team would love to receive your feedback on this issue of PULSE, as well as any topics to be included in future editions by sending an email to. marketing@dpvhealth.org.au.

Wishing you good health!

Don Tidbury CEO

DPV Health

DPV Health is a not-for-profit community based organisation, committed to engaging with everyone in our community to assist them to lead a happy and healthy life.

Things you need to know about

Gestational Diabetes

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is the fastest growing type of diabetes in Australia2. This is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. In most cases, the condition disappears after the baby is born.3

What causes gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes develops as your body can’t make enough insulin during your pregnancy. Insulin is a hormone that helps keep the sugar in your blood at the right level. During pregnancy, your body has to produce much more insulin to encounter the e ect of hormones by the placenta that helps your baby grow and develop. Such hormones could trigger the imbalance of insulin within your body.

How to manage gestational diabetes?

It’s recommended that you take a pregnancy oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and 28 weeks into the pregnancy. Following diagnosis, you may feel a range of emotions so give yourself some time to digest information. Management of gestational diabetes includes monitoring blood glucose levels, eating healthy, regular exercise and possibly insulin injections.4

Am I at risk of diabetes?

If you develop gestational diabetes, you have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Find out your risk by completing the risk calculator HERE.

If you’re worried about gestational diabetes, speak to your doctor and get referred to a specialist as required.

Heart Disease in Men

What is your stroke risk?

Take this 5 minute health quiz to assess your risk for heart disease, diabetes and kidney function.

CHECK MY RISK

Did you know that men develop heart disease 10 years earlier than women?1 DPV Health aims to raise awareness on common heart diseases and signs of stroke.

What is coronary heart disease?

Coronary heart disease is also called ischemic heart disease - the common cause of death in Australia2 . It develops as plaque from cholesterol accumulating on the wall of arteries blocking the blood flow through your arteries. This eventually leads to heart attack, stroke and other vascular conditions.3

What causes heart disease?

There is no one cause of coronary heart disease4. However, knowing your risk factors and changes in your lifestyle can help prevent it from occuring. Some of the risk factors include:

• Whether you’re a smoker

• Level of your physical exercise

• Social isolation

• Your weight and

• Age

Knowing the signs of heart attack and stroke could save you and your loved one’s.

Signs of a heart attack5

It’s important to know the warning signs so you can get the proper treatment right away:

• Shortness of breath

• Unexplained tiredness

• Nausea or vomiting

• Pain in jaw, neck or back

• Unusual anxiety, weakness or fatigue

Signs of a stroke

Stroke happens when blood vessels burst and cause bleeding in your brain or when there is a lack of oxygen in your blood delivered to your brain.

• Numbness in your face, arm or leg

• Loss of vision or dimming vision

• Trouble speaking

• Shortness of breath

• Confusion or trouble understanding

• Di culty walking or loss of balance

How is heart disease treated?

There is no cure for heart disease. However, there are things you can do to live longer:

• Healthy eating

• Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol

• Join a support program

Whom can I see if I’m concerned about heart disease?

If you’re aged 45 and over, speak to your doctor or visit DPV Health Medical Centres in Mill Park and Broadmeadows for a full medical examination.

To book an appointment call 1300 234 263 (select option 1 for medical) or visit www.dpvhealth.org.au to book online.

Oral Health

6 tips to help your kids brush their teeth!

It is important to look after your child’s baby teeth because they help children eat, speak and guide the permanent teeth into position.

Toothbrushing everyday helps to remove bacteria that causes tooth decay. Toothbrushing should be done in the morning and before bed at night. Young children will need assistance to brush their teeth until they are about 8 years old.

1 4

There are also many dental books for children. You could read them a book about the importance of brushing their teeth before they brush theirs.

Make it fun! You may like to sing a song or make silly noises to make your child laugh 2 5 3 6

Get the rest of the family involved: many children will copy their older brothers or sisters if they are brushing their own teeth. This also shows them how to brush their teeth

Fun way to encourage your kids to brush their teeth using the brushing chart DOWNLOAD NOW

Try using two toothbrushes: Let them hold one and one for you to brush their teeth properly. Have a go at ‘your turn, my turn’. This allows children to have some independency.

If your child doesn’t like the taste of toothpaste, start brushing their teeth without it. Then gradually introduce them to low fluoride toothpaste. There are also lots of flavours of toothpaste that your child might enjoy

Try another location in your house! Your child might prefer to brush their teeth in another part of the house. It is recommended to brush their teeth near a mirror so they can see what you are doing.

Make an appointment at one of DPV Health’s Dental Centres. Call 1300 234 263 to access our public or affordable private dental services.

Home Care Packages New Services at DPV Health

Have you noticed that you or your loved one might need some more assistance at home?

DPV Health is an approved provider of Home Care Packages within Hume and Whittlesea. We o er the highest quality Home Care Package services, delivered by our experienced, caring, quality sta .

A Home Care Package is a flexible form of government funding, that puts you in control of your home care services and assist you to stay safe, comfortable, and independent at home.

DPV Health o er a wide range of services to support you in your home and within the community. We ensure you get the best package to meet your individual needs and support you through every step in the process. Whether you have already been assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT), advised that your Home Care Package has been assigned, or are just at the beginning of the process, DPV Health are here to help.

Do you or someone you know need help accessing aged care and other support services?

The Aged Care Assist program provides a FREE intensive face-to-face and in-home support to help older people navigate My Aged Care, Home Care Packages, and other services. DPV Health has been funded by the Government to manage the Aged Care Assist program within the City of Whittlesea and Mitchell Shire.

For Home Care Packages call 1300 234 263 (option 0), email homecarepackages@dpvhealth.org.au or visit www.dpvhealth.org.au/home-care-packages

How to improve your mental health and webeing

It’s normal to feel negative sometimes but when it becomes a problem and starts to affect your everyday life it’s important to get help sooner than later.

What a ects our Mental Health?

Mental health can a ect daily living, relationships and physical health. Your Mental wellbeing can be influenced by several factors, including:

• Genetics

• Environment

• Daily habits

• Biology

• Traumatic events

Su ering from poor mental health can be a lonely and isolating experience, please know you are not alone. It’s normal to feel sad, anxious or depressed sometimes but when it a ects your ability to get through day-today life, it’s important to get help early.

To get Help

Anxiety and depression can be distressing, and it can stop you achieving your full potential. However, it can be treated. Our Mental Health professionals at DPV Health’s private psychiatry clinic can help you get back to feeling like yourself again. Our highly qualified caring team are dedicated to make you feel comfortable and at ease in our medical centres with psychiatric assessment and management plan tailored to your mental conditions.

Dr Mendonsa is leading DPV Health’s private psychiatric clinic. He has been working in the public mental health system since early 2018 with over ten years of experience as a consultant psychiatrist. He was conferred as a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry. Rohan is particularly interested in mood disorders, mental health literacy and consultation liaison psychiatry.

To book an appointment with Dr Mendonsa, call 1300 234 263 (select option 4) or speak to your GP for a referral.

highlights

DPV Health is honouring its 5th Birthday this month with a lovely celebration for our employees, volunteers and community representatives.

Since commencing on the 29th of March 2018, DPV Health has grown to become Northern Melbourne’s largest Not-For-Profit Community Health organisation. With 19 sites, and over 800 employees, volunteers and community advisors, DPV Health supports a catchment of over 600,000 people across Melbourne’s northern growth corridor.

As an industry leader in the planning and delivery of innovative, person-centred healthcare across the diverse communities of Melbourne’s North, DPV Health provides an extensive range of medical, dental, mental health, allied health, paediatric, aged care, disability, family violence, family violence, homelessness and other community services.

Don Tidbury CEO said “A great deal has been achieved since DPV Health commenced in 2018 following the merger of Dianella Health and Plenty Valley Community Health. Ultimately, we exist to serve the health and wellbeing needs of Melbourne’s outer North. None of this would have been possible without the amazing support our employees, volunteers, community representatives, industry partners and Board. We are very grateful for their contribution”.

DPV Health’s key achievements over the last 5 years include:

• Leading the largest community based COVID Response for Northern Melbourne: Testing, vaccinations, social housing supports, COVID Positive Pathways, GP Respiratory Clinics and Home Visiting Programs

• Growth of services: mental health, family violence, early childhood, aged care and other programs to meet community needs

• Expansion of community engagement programs with over 70 active community advisors providing a voice for their communities

• Best practice clinical governance and quality systems, including our Excellent Care Framework

• Innovative access strategies resulting in significant reductions in client waitlists and waiting times

• Opening of new sites and refurbishments of existing ones

• Investment in ICT systems and infrastructure to enhance our client’s experience

• Industry leading employee engagement and workforce development programs

• A more inclusive organisation with dedicated plans to engage First Nation’s peoples, LGBTIQA+, disability, culturally & linguistically diverse communities

• Highly productive industry partnerships to grow capacity and leverage shared resources.

Celebrating 5 Years of DPV Health!

This video was created to share just some of the achievements from the last 5 Years.

Here’s to many more years of Excellent Care and delivering on DPV Health’s promise of “Your Healthcare, Your Way”.

Harmony Week Celebration

20th – 26th March 2023

Harmony Week is an occasion to acknowledge the positive aspects of living in a multicultural society, celebrate how far we have come as a community and promote positive messages of belonging.

DPV Health hosted a Harmony Week Dinner for our Community Advisory Network. When you have a strong support network to rely on for friendship and support, it is much easier to overcome the e ects of racism. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.

Ca s at DPV Health

alth, we pride ourselves on ive and actively embrace and ate the diversity of all people within nities. We are passionate about people to lead happy, healthy

y have several clinical and support positions available across the organisation. If you or someone you know might be interested, click here to find

formation.

“I love working for DPV Health as I find great professional and personal joy daily. We have the opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of our community.” - Brad (Program Manager Individualised Care and Social Support)