Womens Health Business Case Report

Women’s Health NSW Business Case – Appendix B

2. BANKSTOWN WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE

NAME Bankstown Women’s Health Centre BANKSTOWN WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE INC 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 1977, our mission is to have an empowered community which values and supports the health and wellbeing of women and their families. Our goal is to deliver meaningful and targeted services for women and their families to achieve positive health outcomes and sustainable wellbeing.

ABN

74 181 873 702

WEBSITE

https://www.bwhc.org.au/

FINANCIAL REPORTS Local Health District Primary LGA(s) Serviced

https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/charities/b90d9164-38af-e811-a960-000d3ad24282/documents/

South Western Sydney LHD Canterbury-Bankstown LGA

NSW Electorate(s) Federal Electorate

Bankstown; Canterbury

Blaxland

Site(s)

Bankstown

Local Population & Health Indicators Canterbury-Bankstown LGA makes up one-third of the South Western Sydney LHD and the population is expected to grow by almost 11% over the next decade. The LGA is relatively socioeconomically disadvantaged, and has a higher proportion of one parent families and women on low incomes than the state average. Canterbury-Bankstown is amongst the most culturally diverse LGAs in NSW; almost 15% of women have limited proficiency in spoken English, indicating the need for an interpreter or bi-lingual worker when attending health care services. 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. Although reported rates of domestic and family violence are below average, evidence suggests that this is significantly under-reported in culturally diverse communities. In mid 2022, Bankstown Women’s Health Centre undertook a community survey of 550 women in the Canterbury-Bankstown area to better understand domestic and family violence. Over 50% of respondents indicated that they would not report the violence. Analysis of the Centre’s data also revealed that 90% of women who initially present to the centre with mental health and other socioeconomic issues, subsequently disclose domestic and family violence or other sexual violence. Responding to Emerging and Unmet Needs Bankstown Women’s Health Centre currently provides health services and support to over 5000 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 to meet community needs. Expanded investment in the Women’s Health Program, envisaged in Scenario 3, would enable the Centre to expand its services to more women in this culturally diverse and growing area and address key emerging and unmet needs. In particular, the Centre would seek to: • Expand counselling capacity to reduce current extensive waitlists and reduce the number of women experiencing domestic and family violence related trauma who are currently being turned away; • Provide a dedicated integrated care resource, focused on assisting 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 is in high demand and this holistic support increases the effectiveness of other health interventions and improves overall health and wellbeing outcomes for women; and • Expand its successful health education outreach activities to provide additional groups and information sessions for schools, local organisations and community centres.

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

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