#1646_WSLHD_Centre for Population Health_YIR_PP

Foreword After an unprecedented and challenging two years for the Centre for Population Health, the start of 2022 saw a significant change with the retirement of our two Population Health leaders - Professor Stephen Corbett and Christine Newman. Their vision and legacy paved the way for the Centre’s new leadership team to progress population health priorities to a new era of ‘living with COVID-19’. Throughout this year the Centre has taken a journey of COVID-19 reflection and recovery, with updated priorities reflected in our Western Sydney Local Health District Centre for Population Health Strategic Framework 2022-2024. Previously disrupted health promotion and public health programs resumed, with teams recalibrating activities, incorporating valuable COVID-19 lessons, and leveraging the results of new and strengthened partnerships and engagement opportunities. A few examples of this included: • A Maternity Clinical Engagement strategy to support improved population health outcomes for pregnant women and their newborns. • Transitioning the COVID-19 Aboriginal Cultural Support model to enable community organisations to continue COVID-19 supports for the community. • Transitioning the WSLHD COVID-19 Outbreak Management Committees to support management of all acute respiratory illnesses in residential aged care facilities, with an established governance framework to enable annual winter preparedness planning or surges in COVID-19 activity. • Enhancing population health program reach through a community engagement model that is delivering Health Promotion programs to the Aboriginal community through new program partnerships with Aboriginal organisations. • Working with high schools to provide a catch-up program to students from 2020 who missed their vaccinations due to COVID-19. • The Health Promotion Framework and Strategy development (due for launch early 2023). • Re-establishing the joint partnership meetings with councils to continue collaborative efforts to create healthy food and built environments. I would like to thank the highly skilled and dedicated Centre for Population Health staff for their commitment and passion to delivering high quality programs and services and their ability to work collaboratively, flexibly and openly towards achieving better health outcomes for people in western Sydney. In my first year as Director, I am proud to share some key highlights and achievements of the Centre in this Year in Review , and as always, welcome any feedback on our programs and services.

Acknowledgement of Country We acknowledge the Darug people as the traditional custodians of the land covered by Western Sydney Local Health District and pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

Artwork by Leanne Tobin. Leanne’s artwork reflects the vibrancy and traditional motions of the dragonflies as they move through their journey of life.

Dr Shopna Bag MBBS Bsc(MED), MIPH, FAFPHM Director, Centre for Population Health December 2022

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WSLHD Centre for Population Health