Womens Health Business Case Report

Women’s Health NSW Business Case – Appendix B

14. LIVERPOOL WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE

NAME

Liverpool Women’s Health Centre Incoporated

LIVERPOOL WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE is an incorporated association and registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for- profits Commission (ACNC) as a Charity with Public Benevolent Institution status. Established in 1975, we support women to make informed decisions about their health and lives.

ABN

82 537 715 518

WEBSITE

https://liverpoolwomenshealth.org.au

FINANCIAL REPORTS Local Health District Primary LGA(s) Serviced

https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/charities/a5af4632-38af-e811-a963-000d3ad244fd/documents/

South Western Sydney LHD

Liverpool LGA

NSW Electorate(s) Federal Electorate

Liverpool; Holsworthy

Fowler

Site(s)

Liverpool

Local Population & Health Indicators Liverpool LGA has experienced almost 25% population growth over the last 10 years and growth is projected to continue over the coming decade. The LGA is relatively socioeconomically disadvantaged, and also culturally diverse. Over 50% of women in the area speak a language other than English, and 10.6% of women have limited proficiency in spoken English, indicating the need for an interpreter or bi-lingual worker when attending health care services. Reported rates of domestic and family violence in the area are above the NSW state average and have increased by 6.2% over the last three years. This is particularly concerning given that evidence indicates significant under-reporting of domestic and family violence in culturally diverse communities. In the South Western Sydney LHD, 20.5% of women report high, or very high, levels of psychological distress. In addition, more than 57% of women are overweight or obese, and adults in the LHD have poorer levels of nutrition and physical activity compared with the rest of NSW. Responding to Emerging and Unmet Needs Liverpool Women’s Health Centre currently provides health services and support to almost 3000 women each year through the Women’s Health Program. Sustainable investment in the program is reflected in Scenario 1 with a recalibration of costs to deliver currently contracted services and Scenario 2 reflecting the level of services and activities currently being delivered by the Centre to meet community needs. Enhanced investment in the Women’s Health Program, envisaged in Scenario 3, would enable the Centre to expand its services and support a greater number of women. In particular, the Centre would seek to: • Significantly expand counselling capacity to address the extensive waitlists of women who are experiencing mental illness, domestic and family violence related trauma; • Expand assessment and integrated care capacity to support women and children with immediate and acute issues impacting on their health including homelessness, domestic and family violence, financial and legal issues, and food security. Integrated care and support to address the social determinants of health increases the effectiveness of other health interventions to improve overall outcomes for women and is in high demand with the Centre receiving hundreds of referrals each year; • Enhance the current suite of therapeutic, health education and physical activity group programs, with a focus on domestic and family violence trauma recovery, mental health, nutrition and maintaining overall physical health and wellbeing; • Provide additional massage and complementary therapies to women experiencing chronic pain resulting from trauma, mental illness and other long-term health issues; and • Expand capacity in the Well Women’s Clinic with a Practice Nurse to provide additional cervical screening and breast screening, as well as more complex women’s health consultations with female GPs.

Women’s Health NSW Business Case – Supplementary Publication: Appendix B

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