Grant to Extend Cervical Cancer Prevention Services in Ballarat

Media Release – 24 May 2013 – PapScreen Victoria

UFS Medical in Ballarat has successfully secured funding from PapScreen Victoria to extend its current Pap test services between July and September 2013.
The Clinic Extension Grants program enables current Pap test providers in Victoria to extend their clinic hours or provide outreach services to access women who are less likely to screen due to social or geographical isolation.
Tracy Murphy, a women’s health nurse from UFS Medical, is confident the grant will enable them to reach women within the community who have found it difficult to commit to a Pap test appointment in the past.
“It’s vitally important to be vigilant when it comes to cervical screening, however many women in the community are struggling to maintain two-yearly Pap tests as recommended,” Tracy said.
“Unfortunately only 56 per cent of women in Ballarat are having regular Pap tests. The reasons vary from lack of transport and childcare, to a limited understanding of why the test is needed, or more sensitive cultural issues,” she said.
“This grant from PapScreen Victoria will allow us to reach more women in the community and encourage them to have this potentially life-saving test. The additional after-hours services we’ll be running will be provided free of charge.”
Hiranthi Perera, Program Manager at PapScreen Victoria, believes the Clinic Extension Grants program is fundamental to reaching unscreened and underscreened women in key communities across Victoria.
“Around 80 per cent of women who develop cervical cancer have either never had a Pap test or had not had them regularly in the 10 years to diagnosis,” Ms Perera said.
“By funding Pap test providers to expand their services, women living in remote areas or those struggling to find the time to have a Pap test have more options and will hopefully be more likely to make an appointment.
“We appreciate that Pap tests can be a little bit awkward, but they also provide women with the peace of mind that they are doing everything possible to prevent cervical cancer,” she said.
To book a Pap test, please call the UFS Medical on 03 5364 9100.
For more information please visit www.papscreen.org.au.

See, know, feel, am at Unicorn Gallery

MEDIA ALERT – Friday 24 May, 2013

The stories of nine community members feature as part of the latest exhibition to go on display at the Unicorn Gallery.
‘See. Know. Feel. Am.’ is on display now until Thursday 27 June, and features the work of local artist Ainslie Macauley.
The exhibition is a visual exploration that represents the shared stories of nine locals from Ballarat and surrounding areas. Their stories tell of their sense of familiarity to Ballarat and surrounds, generated by their deep and ongoing relationship to place.
Through mixed media, sculpture and installation pieces, Ainslie Macaulay has created a body of work, stemming from her interpretation of these stories.
‘See. Know. Feel. Am.’ aims to develop a perception that when you understand place, you understand yourself.
The exhibition is free and available to view 24 hours a day.
The Unicorn Lane Gallery features nine sealed and internally-lit steel boxes that publicly showcase the work of artists, craftspeople, photographers, filmmakers, writers and poets.
For more information about the Unicorn Gallery, contact the City of Ballarat’s Public Art Coordinator Julie Collins at 5320 5199 or email juliecollins@ballarat.vic.gov.au

Ballarat City Council Draft Budget: $1.3 million allocated to waste management in Ballarat

MEDIA RELEASE
Date: Friday 24 May 2013
Initiatives to better manage Ballarat’s waste are a highlight of Ballarat City Council’s 2013/14 Draft Budget.
The 2013/14 Draft Budget has allocated $300,000 for the replacement of a portion of the household recycling bins in the city.
There are around 40,000 of the 240 litre recycling bins used for fortnightly collections.
The draft budget allocation will allow for the replacement of 15% of the city’s recycling bins, many of which are more than 10 years old.
In addition, new properties will be provided with a 140 litre rubbish bin free of charge – that’s a saving of $95.00 to new home owners.
Cr Belinda Coates  said the investment into replacement bins and bins for new homes was in response to feedback received to Council and Councillors.
“Broken bins are a frustration to many residents. We are pleased that this investment into a rolling program of bin replacement will solve that frustration for residents with ageing and broken bins”.
The Draft Budget has also allocated $1 million to construct a new storage cell at City of Ballarat’s Smythesdale Landfill.
The new cell will have capacity to receive between two to three years’ waste, with a clay and plastic lining ensuring the waste cannot pollute groundwater or nearby waterways.
With an estimated 18 months capacity left in the current cell, construction of the new cell will ensure the facility is ready before the current cell’s expiry.
The project will also allow landfill gas to be captured and used to produce electricity.
In 2013/14 City of Ballarat will seek expressions of interest to undertake processing of green wastes and implementation of kerbside green waste collection services in 2015.
Cr Coates said this is a service that our residents are keen to see delivered. We will talk to the market to see if we can commence a cost effective green waste collection service for Ballarat”.
“This is just one of the many initiatives this Council is considering to build a better Ballarat now and into the future”.
Council is also working with Sustainability Victoria to reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfill by 8000 tonnes, which will help prolong the life of the landfill.
Council is seeking investment in a range of processing options including production of wood fuel for heating our pools, high quality composts and production of bio-char.
Council will also continue to seek suitable partnerships to establish future waste to energy solutions that can provide heat and power at the Ballarat West Employment Zone through this process.
Cr Belinda Coates said we are ensuring we have sustainable solutions to the city’s waste now and into the future through these initiatives”.
“We are taking a responsible approach to managing waste that will deliver a competitive advantage for Ballarat in attracting new residents and business investment into the Employment Zone”.

How you can comment
Residents are encouraged to view the draft Council Plan and draft Budget and provide feedback to Council.
Both documents are available to view as a hard copy at Council’s Customer Service Centre, The Phoenix, 25 Armstrong Street South and at the Ballarat Town Hall.
They can also be downloaded from the City of Ballarat website at www.ballarat.vic.gov.au

Feedback, via the following avenues, must be received by 9am on Monday 17 June.

In person: Residents who have made a written submission can register to speak at a Special Meeting of Council on Wednesday 19 June.

Website: www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay

Email: written submissions can be emailed to brentonthomas@ballarat.vic.gov.au

Mail: written submissions should be addressed to Chief Executive Officer, City of Ballarat, PO Box 655, Ballarat, VIC, 3353

Facebook: facebook.com/ballaratcity

Twitter: twitter.com/cityofballarat

Inadequate Local MRI Services Creates Two-Tier Public Health System

Media Release – Thursday 23 May 2013
Ballarat Health Services is renewing its campaign to secure Medicare eligibility from the Federal Government for its new 3T MRI service in order to cut out of pocket costs for patients, reduce waiting times and ensure patients have convenient access to state-of-the-art, life-saving medical technology.
BHS Chief Executive Officer Andrew Rowe says Medicare eligibility for the hospital’s new 3T MRI service is about guaranteeing that the people of Ballarat have access to the best possible care, backed by the use of the most up-to-date, on-site medical technology.
Mr Rowe says the Ballarat Base Hospital will take its case to Canberra later this month where it will put its case for Medicare eligibility to both the Government and the Opposition.
“Ballarat Base Hospital’s new MRI scanner will become operational in November. It will allow the people of Ballarat 24-hour, seven day a week access to 3T MRI services for the first time. It will bring a new dimension of health care for patients,” Mr Rowe said.
The MRI will be located in the Radiology Department which is adjacent to Emergency and will be readily accessible for time critical scans.
“With MRI Medicare eligibility, patients scanned at the BHS 3T MRI facility will incur no out of pocket fees, which means patient care will be provided based on need rather than patient affordability. The current level of out of pocket charging is neither fair nor acceptable.”
“BHS is very concerned that out of pocket expenses currently charged for MRI services in Ballarat is well in excess of those charged in other regional centres, and that this is leading to patients avoiding crucial scans because of the lack of affordability. Medicare eligibility for the BHS 3T MRI service will put an end to this, noting that BHS continues to be committed to bulk billing all Medicare subsidised Radiology services.”
Mr Rowe said many patients faced an added burden of the cost and inconvenience of travelling to other regional hospitals for MRI services if they required a more sophisticated type of MRI or if they required an MRI ‘out of hours’ as the current provider did not provide a 24 hour a day, seven day a week service.
“Currently patients are experiencing hefty out-of-pocket expenses and unnecessary delays in their diagnosis and treatment; we want to eliminate that by offering a local, subsidised 24-hour service,” Mr Rowe said.
A delegation from Ballarat Health Services will travel to Canberra later this month seeking to secure Medicare eligibility, thereby providing the people of Ballarat with timely, affordable access to the latest 3T MRI technology.
MRI services in Ballarat are currently provided by a private company which operates two MRI machines. These services do not operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and patients typically incur significant out-of-pocket expenses.

YMCA to take lead role in Doug Dean revitalisation

MEDIA RELEASE – Thursday 23 May, 2013
From July this year, Ballarat YMCA will lead community activities from the “Deladome” Community Hub at the Doug Dean Reserve.
The Ballarat YMCA was successful in an EOI process which called for not-for-profit organisations to manage the facility.
The Facility, which has been gifted to the City of Ballarat  by the Department of Human Services from July 1, is currently home to the Delacombe Neighbourhood Renewal project which is due to finish at the end of June.
Over the next few weeks, the City of Ballarat, together with the Delacombe Neighbourhood Renewal Team and the YMCA will work to activate the Reserve to create a community hub.
The community facility, which sits alongside the Doug Dean Stadium, is an integral part of the Doug Dean Redevelopment Project that has recently seen the installation of a water-retention basin, a new children’s play area and a host of landscaping works.
City of Ballarat Portfolio Councillor for People and Communities Des Hudson described the YMCA’s appointment as Facility Co-ordinator as a great opportunity to further enhance the Doug Dean site for the benefit of the whole community.
“It’s great to see Council and the Delacombe Neighbourhood Renewal team working together on a sustainable outcome to maintain the Facility for the community and we look forward to supporting the YMCA in the future.”
Ballarat YMCA Chief Executive Officer Mr Mal Healey said “co-ordinating the community facility places the YMCA team in the heart of the community; a place from which the YMCA can successfully deliver community building programs and initiatives”.

Live Streaming and Live Scores for Worksafe AFL Victoria Country Championships this weekend

Those unable to attend Saturday’s Worksafe AFL Victoria Country Championships matches between the Red Onion Creative Ballarat Football Netball League and the Bendigo Bank Bendigo Football Netball League will still be able to follow all of the action from wherever they are in the world with thanks to the Ballarat Football Netball League, Red Onion Creative and Telstra Countrywide.

Supporters will be able to watch the Senior football match live from the comfort of their own homes via the Ballarat Football Netball League website, which will host a live stream of the match.  With vision from BFNL Naming Rights Partner Red Onion Creative, audio courtesy of 979fm in Melton and fantastic graphic overlays to update viewers with scores and relevant statistics at all times, it promises to be a broadcast of an extremely high standard.  The Live Stream will be the lead News item on the Ballarat FNL website from 10am Saturday morning at http://www.bfl.vcfl.com.au, with the stream starting from 2pm.

Live scores from all matches played on Saturday, including both Senior and Under 18 football and Senior and 17 & Under netball, will also be available to anyone with a smartphone via the Ballarat FNL’s Live Scores service, powered by Telstra Countrywide.  The Live Scores service can be downloaded by inputting m.ballaratfnl.livescores.redtxt.com.au into the smartphone’s browser, after which the user will be prompted to save the page on their smartphones’ home screen.  The Live Score service will give users to-the-minute score updates for all of the football and netball matches played throughout the day.

BHS staff step up to the Global Corporate Challenge

Media Release – Thursday 23 May 2013

More than 600 Ballarat Health Services (BHS) staff will strap on accelerometers and count their steps each day for the next three months as part of the Global Corporate Challenge.
Starting today, 90 teams of BHS staff will count their steps each day as they undertake normal duties and participate in after-hours activities.
The staff are part of the 16 week Global Corporate Challenge, a worldwide program aimed at getting workers moving to promote healthy lifestyles.
BHS Global Corporate Challenge staff ambassador, Jan Stewart, said the event encouraged people to think about their daily physical activity.
“Participants in the Global Corporate Challenge are encouraged to walk at least 10,000 steps to promote a healthy lifestyle,” Ms Stewart said.
“There are many benefits of being active including reduced blood pressure, increased energy levels, improved sleep patterns and maintaining a healthy weight.”
BHS Chief Executive Andrew Rowe is one of the 630 staff taking part in the Global Corporate Challenge and said employees were encouraged to take part in the event to help promote a healthy workforce.
“As an organisation we’re very good at ensuring our patients and clients have the best healthcare available but it’s also very important that as healthcare workers we look after our own well-being.”

LIVE ON LYDIARD 41

LIVE ON LYDIARD 41 – Live Music Events @ University of Ballarat, Arts Academy

LIVE MUSIC! Come join the students of the University of Ballarat’s Advanced Diploma of Live Production (Theatre and Events) Course for three nights of live music at The Courthouse Theatre, SMB Campus on Lydiard Street South. The shows will be also streamed online, for more information please go to ublive.net.
– ‘Live on Lydiard 41’.

Thursday May 30^th will feature:

Birahny Lawrence

Melody Moon

The Jez Gronow Trio

Friday May 31^st will feature:

Gullivan

Zikora

Saturday June 1^st will feature:

Rod Davitt

Krazyfish

Winter York

The Arts Academy’s Advanced Diploma of Live Production Course has been operating for 14 years providing over 70 independent musical and performance acts a year with performance and recording opportunities. Course projects in that time have included festival and event production, live internet broadcasts and Ballarat compilation music CD’s. The course is aimed at preparing students for careers in the entertainment industry in areas of Lighting, Sound, Stage and Production Management. Course graduates are now working across Australia and the world in the area of festival and event management, theatres, entertainment centres and hire and production companies. Graduates have an excellent reputation in the industry, and students come from around Australia to study lighting and sound at UB’s Arts Academy.

Highlights from course projects are featured online at youtube (www.youtube.com/ublive)
and the course has had over 150,000 video views of material produced in UB Arts Academy.

See us online!
www.ublive.net
www.youtube.com/UBlive
www.facebook.com/liveonlydiard
www.twitter.com/ublive

Young people sort their bills out

Media Release – Wednesday 22nd May 2013
Liberal Member for Western Victoria Simon Ramsay MP has congratulated Phoenix P-12 College in Sebastopol on their involvement in this year’s YMCA Youth Parliament. Mr Ramsay said the program gave 20 teams of six young people the opportunity to take a seat in State Parliament, raise issues and make recommendations that may ultimately influence legislation. “This is the 27th anniversary of Youth Parliament in Victoria and is a fantastic opportunity for young people to be heard and potentially change the way Victorians do things,” Mr Ramsay said. “Young people from Phoenix College will receive training in public speaking and leadership at their induction camp, as they research issues they are passionate about. “The team will present and argue the merits of their proposed Bill on legalised euthanasia.” The program provides young people with a greater understanding of the State’s political and legislative process and gives Members of Parliament even greater insight into the issues relevant to young Victorians. Mr Ramsay said he was pleased the Victorian Coalition Government had increased funding to support the Youth Parliament program and encourage greater participation among regional young people. Minister for Youth Affairs Ryan Smith congratulated this year’s Youth Parliament participants. “I look forward with interest to the bills that will be presented and I thank this extraordinary group of young people for taking the time and effort to be involved in this outstanding program,” Mr Smith said.
“The Coalition Government’s youth statement Engage, Involve, Create aims to ensure young people are fully involved in the life of their community and the Youth Parliament program is an important part of this goal.”

Working on the youth page!

Media Release – Wednesday 22 May 2013- Alisha Cooper

 

Dont forget to check out the youth page http://www.voicefm.com.au/youth/ that is currently being updated weekly as a special project from a student at Ballarat High School as part of the Stradegies for Excellence School Based Apprenticeships,

Last week there was 5 Science questions from CSIRO posted on the Youth page with a link to our Facebook where you could write your answers, the correct answers have been posted on the page, a big CONGRATULATIONS!!! to those who got them right

keep an eye out every Wednesday for more updates and maybe some new questions, a special thanks to CSIRO for providing us with the said questions!
Feel free to leave us comments and feedback would be much appreciated

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