Womens Health Business Case Report

2.4 Rationale for increased investment in the Women’s Health Program

KEY MESSAGES • The network of 20 Women’s Health Centres across NSW provide direct support to address the health needs of over 50,000 women of all ages each year, the majority of whom are from socio- economically disadvantaged backgrounds and/or from priority health populations. • The Women’s Health Program offers a unique, integrated primary health care model that is able to address a wide range of physical and mental health needs for women, as well as the social determinants of health and the health impacts of violence against women. Key components of the Women’s Health Programmodel include: º Mental health and well-being services - individual and group counselling, and therapeutic resilience work, social and emotional well-being and psychosocial support º Physical health and well-being services – chronic illness prevention and management, nutrition, complementary therapies and body work, reproductive and sexual health, cancer screening º Integrated care and referral – support to address the social determinants of health and the health effects of domestic and family violence and sexual violence º Health education and health promotion – to improve health literacy, promote healthy lifestyle choices and behaviours and equip women to participate in their own health care and well-being • Women’s Health Centres provide a safe, private and women-focused setting, and the assurance of being treated or supported by female staff. This is crucial to enabling access to health

services for many women and is recognised in the literature as a positive contributor to women’s health outcomes. • Services are trauma informed - focused on safety, trust, collaboration and empowerment - and person centred – flexible and strengths based, treating each client as an individual, rather than focusing solely on their health ‘conditions’. • In a survey of referrers to Women’s Health Centres, two-thirds of respondents reported that 75% or more of their clients would be unable to access the services they require if the Centres were not available. • Over 40 years, Women’s Health Centres have developed extensive infrastructure in the form of local knowledge, partnerships, connections and support. These networks allow for ‘no- wrong door’ service provision, facilitate effective integrated care, and maximise the impact of available funding by integrating the full range of Government and non-government support for clients. • Community infrastructure, and the capacity to offer integrated ‘no-wrong door’ servicing, is highly valued by local communities and in all Government service commissioning efforts - and is difficult to replace. • Women’s Health Centres are ‘providing a multitude of primary health and well-being services to a group of who may have otherwise only received care and support via the acute system’. The Program also contributes to reductions in the burden of disease associated with mental health, domestic and family violence, cancer and chronic disease.

2.4.1 A Unique Service Model Women’s Health Centres offer a unique, integrated primary health care model that is able to address a wide range of physical and mental health needs that women present with, as well as the social determinants of health and the health impacts of violence against women.

Key components of the Women’s Health Program service model include: • Mental health and wellbeing services - individual and group counselling, and therapeutic resilience work, social and emotional wellbeing and psychosocial support • Physical health and wellbeing services – chronic illness prevention and management, nutrition, complementary therapies and body work, reproductive and sexual health, cancer screening • Integrated care and referral – support to address the social determinants of health and the health effects of domestic and family violence and sexual violence • Health education and health promotion – to improve health literacy, promote healthy lifestyle choices and behaviours and equip women to participate in their own health care and wellbeing

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Sustainable Investment in the NSWNGOWomen’s Health Program