Glynis Schultz, Executive Director, Community and Oral Health
It was a privilege to host the Metro North Health Board at Nundah this week and I am grateful to the Nundah staff for their hospitality and assistance.
The Metro North Board Chair Jim McGowan AM asked me to personally pass on his appreciation to all of our staff and the work that you have been doing, as your work is so critical to our hospitals and the broader service.
At the time, I also took the opportunity to also express my gratitude to Anita Keightley and the Hospital in the Home (HITH) team.
Many of you would not know that the team has been expanding its service recently to safely support more patients and care for people with a broader scope of complex conditions in the home.
Similar to the work of our other community-based services, HITH is not only supporting more people in the community but is making a big difference by helping our hospitals better manage demand and patient flow.
COH Excellence Awards local events
We are just working through the schedule of facility events where I will acknowledge the winners of the Community and Oral Health Staff Excellence Awards for 2022.
The first event is planned for Brighton where five individuals will be recognised for their outstanding work. This will be held under the blue sails on the 18 October from 10.00 – 11.00 am.
All staff are welcome to attend. We will also be visiting the Oral Health Centre, other oral health sites, North Lakes Health Precinct and Aspley Community Health Centre in October and November.
I will keep you posted.
The importance of social prescribing and inclusion
In our recent executive meeting, we had an informative discussion about social prescribing and wellness, and how important it is to involve patients and residents in a range of non-clinical and recreational services and activities to help reduce social isolation.
It is important to recognise that people’s health and wellbeing are determined mostly by a range of social, economic and environmental factors.
The work we do at the Brighton Wellness Hub is a good example of how we can social prescribe and improve wellness, and this also seen in the work of our recreational officers and volunteers, and the great partnership we have established with the Sandgate and District’s Mens Shed.
In terms of social inclusion and the efforts of the Brighton Wellness Hub, I am very excited to share the story about Muriel who is finding new-found purpose thanks to this service.
“Muriel is a lady who lives locally and was the first person to access the Brighton Wellness Hub when we opened three years ago. She lives alone and suffers from a number of health issues.
“The Hub offers a range of activities to assist our community connect for social interaction and reduce social isolation, such as mah-jong.
“Over the past two years, Muriel has run a Tuesday afternoon Mah-Jong session and taught new players the intricacies of the game. The group continues to meet and play and new people join, and Muriel assists them.
“Recently Muriel had her 90th Birthday and the Mah-jong group wanted to give her a birthday afternoon tea, which they did at the Hub after their weekly game.
“Muriel, who is a woman of few words, started her thank you’s by saying that she wanted to thank the group, because she believed she would not have been celebrating her 90th birthday had it not been for them and the opportunity to take on mah-jong teaching.
“She is not able to walk easily and she is in a great deal of intolerable pain. However, meeting with the group regularly, building a strong friendship group (who now meet outside of the Hub), and having a purpose for being, has resulted in her ambition to keep going.”
Please look out for the next COH Express which will detail more of Muriel’s wonderful story.
Glynis Schultz
Executive Director
Community and Oral Health