Delivering health innovations
We continue to develop and deliver award-winning innovative health promotion programs that respond to the population health needs of our community .
This year , in response to changes in funding guidelines , we undertook a needs assessment on healthy eating , active living and tobacco-related harm within Merri-bek . The aim was to understand community and stakeholder perceptions of whether these health issues are important to the local community , and what areas should be prioritised for action .
What did we achieve ?
completed targeted needs assessment , reviewed data , research and reports
42 community members from diverse population groups and
78 people from local services , schools and groups across Merri-bek consulted we learned about the barriers to living an active life , in particular : financial barriers , time , access , inclusivity , safety and accessibility , behavioural factors , awareness of what ’ s available
identified a need to focus initially on increasing participation of girls and women in active living
Challenges
along with many other community health services , the Department of Health announced a 10-15 % reduction to health promotion funding from July 2023 . Continuing to meet the health promotion needs of our community with less resources will be an ongoing challenge . To meet this challenge , we will continue our focus on partnering with local organisations on collaborative projects , to share resources and broaden our reach within the community
What ’ s next ?
adding active living to our health promotion priorities for 2023-2025 , in addition to mental wellbeing and violence
initial focus on increasing participation of girls and women in active living , including working with sporting clubs to create healthy environments that engage girls and women
commencing a new community champions program that draws on the strengths of local community members to increase awareness of active living opportunities , services and programs in the community
Merri Health Annual Report 2023 33