Health Promotion is part of Community Health, located at 125 Campbell Street, Swan Hill.
Learn more about the services at Community Health by reading our Community Health Newsletter, see here.
The Health Promotion team is responsible for undertaking primary prevention activities within the community. This work is informed and guided by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion.
Activities include:
A partnership approach was achieved for the 2021-2025 planning cycle resulting in Swan Hill District Health contributing to the development of the Swan Hill Rural City Council Public Health & Wellbeing Plan, as a fully integrated plan.
We also have a separate but complementary action plan called the Swan Hill District Health- Health Promotion Action Plan, see link below.
A key priority area identified in our plan is promoting Gender Equity in the Early Years. A community guide has been developed and distributed to align with the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. The Community Guide can be found below. This work is completed in partnership with the Swan Hill District Gender Equity Network. This complements the Guiding Document developed in 2019 titled Promoting Gender Equity in the Swan Hill District.
Join in the activities for the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence in 2024. These include a 16Days4Kids Colouring Competition, see entry form below and a Gender Equity Storywalk.
The Swan Hill Gender Equity Storywalk will be held on Wednesday 27th November 2024, commencing at 10.30am at the Swan Hill Regional Library and finishing at the Clock Tower Lawn.
Food security and access to fresh local food is an ongoing priority within the Health Promotion Action Plan, more information in regard to our work and partnership can be found at the Food for All – Swan Hill Region website, https://www.foodforall.community/
Early Years is a focus of our Health Promotion Plan and we, in partnership with many local agencies, including Mallee Family Care, Swan Hill Rural City Council, Our Place Robinvale, have together recently launched a new Early Years Online Hub. This user-friendly platform helps our local community access Early Year’s information and services within the Swan Hill Local Government Area. The Hub covers just about everything parents and carers need to know at this important stage of life.
To visit go to: www.earlyyearsonlinehub.org.au
We also support the implementation of the Infant Program, details provided in brochure below.
Our Health Promotion team has been coordinating the Dental Health Services Victoria – Smiles 4 Miles Program across the district for over 16 years. This program promotes oral health and healthy eating in early childhood services. This year is the 20th anniversary of the Smiles 4 Miles Program state-wide. Swan Hill South Kindergarten was one of our pilot sites for Smiles 4 Miles, they were first awarded as meeting the Smiles 4 Miles actions in 2012. Swan Hill South Kindergarten has provided a case study describing their experience of the Smiles 4 Miles program over this time, see below. Shine Bright Woorinen South Kindergarten has also provided a case study, describing their long association with the Smiles 4 Miles Program and the benefits they have found in being an awarded site, see below.
Swan Hill LGA Community Profile
The Swan Hill local government area is situated in the far north-west corner of Victoria, within the Mallee sub-region of the Loddon Mallee. It has a culturally diverse population along with a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at 4.5%.
Swan Hill, much like Victoria has an ageing population with a higher burden of chronic disease and disability than the state average. The median income for individuals, families and households are below the state and Swan Hill has a considerably high homelessness rate.
The data suggests Swan Hill experiences higher rates in most health risk factors which may impact long-term health measures including higher rates of high blood pressure at 23.6% (compared to 22.7% for Victoria) and obesity (38.1% vs 31.3% for Victoria). Swan Hill also shows higher rates of current smokers (22.1% compared to 15.5% for Victoria), and people consuming more than two standard alcoholic drinks per day on average is 20.4% vs 14.4% in Victoria.*
The below documents have been prepared to provide a data profile on the health and wellbeing of the local government area of Swan Hill. They contain public available data that has been collated and summarised to help inform our health service. This data directly influences our Strategic and Community Health Plans.
(*Introduction taken directly from the Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit’s Swan Hill Data Profile dated 2024)
Loddon Mallee Community Profiles:
Community Health
