The South East Public Health Unit (SEPHU) is developing its strategy for the next five years and is keen for stakeholder input, including any interested employees at Monash Health.
Three online consultation workshops will take place this month to best understand how SEPHU can work with stakeholders to deliver improved health outcomes for our communities.
“We are keen for your input and invite you to join other stakeholders at one of 3 online consultation workshops,” said SEPHU’s General Manager Sharyn Donald. “The workshops will run for one hour and there is no pre-reading.”
SEPHU was established in 2020 to strengthen the public health response to COVID-19, delivering case contact tracing, outbreak management with surge capacity, community engagement, testing and vaccination.
“Our role has now expanded to include additional public health responsibilities, including health promotion, disease prevention and responsibility for communicable diseases and notifiable medical conditions other than COVID-19,” Sharyn said. “By December 2023 this will encompass 83 notifiable conditions.”
SEPHU’s catchment area covers about 1.8 million residents across 11 local government areas: Bayside, Cardinia Shire, Casey, Frankston, Glen Eira, Greater Dandenong, Kingston, Monash, Port Phillip, Stonnington and Mornington Peninsula Shire.
“Our health promotion and disease prevention priorities have been established through the Population Health Catchment Plan 2023-2028. The four priorities we will focus on are vaping and tobacco cessation, preventing hospital admission due to falls, promoting active lifestyles, and enhancing cervical cancer screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates.
“We are now developing our broader Public Health Strategy 2024-2029 – which is what we want to consult on.”
Join one of our workshops:
For more information, email: communityengagement@monashhealth.org
Approved by Sharyn Donald, General Manager, Public Health and Infectious Diseases