Community Health has become an institution with health services since the 1960’s, starting out with community nurses providing mothers with checks and immunisations for their new babies. Since then, community health has grown substantially, and three specialised community health services are celebrating10 years in the Taree area.

Genetic counselling, diabetes education and a child and family counselling service for at-risk families (PANOC), are this week reminiscing the changes in Taree Community Health over the past decade.

General Manager of Lower Mid North Coast Cluster’s Community Health services, Ken Hampson said Community Health has grown in size as the prevention and early intervention side of health care grows in importance.

"It may have started out with community nursing, but it has blossomed into a multi-faceted service which complements the acute care services provided by hospitals and aged care facilities," he said.

He said the introduction of the three services celebrating their tenth anniversary this week illustrates the development of this change in the way health services are delivered, with more and more services being available closer to home.

"These days, people in the Taree and Great Lakes communities can get the support they need to stay well and out of hospital by accessing local Community Health services, rather than having to travel to larger city centres," Ken said.

In terms of Diabetes Education, the Lower Mid North Coast has two nurse educators and a dietitian providing practical advice and support to children and adults with diabetes and their carers. Services range from individual appointments, monthly groups and provision of education to schools, nursing homes and community organisations, as well as support for Diabetes Australia’s children’s camps.

"We have seen an explosion in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes since we began 10 years ago, with the number of people with diabetes increasing by 300 per cent in this area.

"The biggest problem they encounter is ‘over-nutrition’ which is people eating more than they need given their level of physical activity, which is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes," she said.

Ken said another specialist service celebrating 10 years in the Manning area is Genetic Counselling. This service assists families to make decisions about their genetic risk of developing diseases (for example from breast cancer through to Huntington's Disease), as well as helping parents understand the risks for their unborn babies.

"We have a fulltime Genetic Counsellor who works closely with a visiting Geneticist (a genetics specialist doctor) from Newcastle, who can also utilise telehealth facilities to conduct consultations by teleconference.

"The biggest change for Genetic Counselling over the years has been the increase in the number of cancer referrals, with 50 per cent of doctors’ referrals now people with family histories of cancer," he said.

Ken said both of these services have forged strong links with medical professionals throughout the area, providing additional support for the community health staff and local medical staff alike.

The other service celebrating 10 years, is the PANOC (Physical Abuse and Neglect of Children) Counselling service which is slightly different in its orientation to the other two.

"Its counsellors support families referred by Department of Community Services to address parenting and violence problems within families to ensure the safety of children. Domestic violence needs to be tackled on many fronts because of the long term impact it has on children in particular," he said.

Ken said he and the other approximately 120 staff at Taree Community Health, are very proud of all of the services provided by Community Health, and congratulate the three services on their anniversary.

People wanting to know more about these services can contact Taree Community Health on 6592 9315.