Celebrating Our Volunteers

National Volunteer Week has been celebrated for more than 30 years, and is the largest celebration of volunteers in the country.

In the area of health, local communities are represented by volunteer health advocates as members of Local Health Advisory Committees (LHACs) to consider health needs, promote health litracy and wellbeing and provide a voice for planning and evaluation of health services.

During a recent forum facilitated by Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) and Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD), LHACs representiing communities from across the Murrumbidgee travelled to Temora to connect and share their activities and experiences in health and discuss strategies to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.

MPHN Senior Manager Primary Care Engagement, Andrew Heap said LHACs provided a valuable conduit between the community and health organisations to assist with planning and priority setting.

”LHAC members are all volunteers and give their time and effort all year round to contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of their communities,” Mr Heap said.

“MPHN works closely with the community to understand health needs and LHACs play an important role in this engagement.”

MLHD Executive Services Manager - Communications, Setchen Brimson said the LHAC Forum was a vital opportunity for committee members to connect with each other, share ideas and discuss the experiences of their communities.

“The bi-annual forums are an opportunity for us to connect with our volunteer LHAC members and listen to their stories, achievements, and challenges,” Ms Brimson said.

“This collaboration forms the basis of our commitment to work with communities to meet health and wellbeing needs.

“LHAC members come from all walks of life and bring a diverse set of perspectives to the conversation about community health needs and improving quality care.”

Temora LHAC member Wendy McCrone said volunteering to be part of the local health advisory committee was both rewarding and provided an opportunity to make a difference in the community.

“We are all passionate community members who care deeply about improving health outcomes in our respective towns,” Ms McCrone said.

“LHAC members give up their time to listen to community and ensure there is a local voice at the table when developing new strategies and plans.”

The second LHAC Forum for 2022 will be held in Finley on September 26 and 27.

St John Ambulance NSW has over 3000 volunteers contributing around 300,000 hours to their local communities each year. The theme for National Volunteer Week this year is Better Together, acknowledging that volunteering brings people together and improves the community.

Last year, St John Ambulance NSW volunteers were deployed to support frontline COVID-19 efforts throughout the pandemic. They provided more than 230,000 hours at quarantine clinics, and airport temperature testing, and played a critical role in the vaccination roll-out.

Most recently, volunteers were stationed in the state’s far north region to assist with the flood crisis, working at evacuation centres and providing medical and psychological first aid.

National Volunteer Week celebrates and recognises the vital work of volunteers who often change their communities for the better.

• Topics:

• Volunteering