A new Community Services Hub has opened at Maldon Hospital this month offering a range of new community health services to the Maldon community.
The new services come as a direct result of the amalgamation of Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health earlier this year. The amalgamation created Dhelkaya Health, a new organisation with responsibility for improving health and wellbeing in Mount Alexander Shire. Dhelkaya means ‘being healthy’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language.
Sue Race, Dhelkaya Health’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted to be able to welcome these community services to Maldon. The amalgamation committed to improving access to high quality health services for the Maldon community. Within just a few months that’s exactly what we’ve done. We expect to roll out further services in Maldon over time in response to community need and demand.”
The first community health services already seeing clients at the Maldon Community Services Hub include podiatry, diabetes education, counselling for adults and children and continence services. Other specialists setting up at the Hub over the coming weeks include dietitians, physiotherapists, speech pathologists and alcohol and drugs counsellors. Any Maldon residents already travelling to Castlemaine for these services can now discuss changing their appointment location with their practitioner.
Grant Hamilton, Dhelkaya Health’s Director Healthy Communities and Social Support Services, said: “The service expansion means Maldon locals can now get more health and wellbeing support more easily without the need to travel. We’ve been working closely with Maldon Hospital’s Deputy Director of Nursing Peta Ballinger and the staff to get these services up and running, so it’s great to see our podiatrist Martin Burghardt and other specialists now seeing their clients in Maldon.”
The Community Services Hub has a separate reception to the main hospital and aged care, so clients can enter from Adair Street where they are welcomed by Community Services Hub Receptionist, Jess Humphrey. With the Community Services Hub already seeing a steady stream of local clients through the door, Dhelkaya Health is expecting more Maldon locals to get in touch to find out how the services can help improve their health and wellbeing.
To find out more about these services or to make an appointment, call Dhelkaya Health on 5471 3575. More information is also available online at www.maldhosp.vic.gov.au.
