Community Advisory Committee

Why did you decide to join the Yarrawonga Health Consumer Advisory Committee?
I decided to join the Yarrawonga health Consumer Advisory Committee as I was eager to assist our local Health Service with design and delivery of policies and consumer information. I believe in the power of the consumer voice and have the drive to challenge and bring forward ideas on behalf of our community.

What experiences from the health system can you bring to the committee?
I have limited experience in the health industry, however i am a business owner in Yarrawonga and I believe i can bring my knowledge from my work to assist with the development of policies and information.

What do you hope to achieve while on the committee?
I hope to assist with raising the profile of Yarrawonga Health, our committee and the services YH can provide while contributing to ways we can engage with our community.

How can you advocate for our community?
I can advocate for our community through my professional contacts, as I am a local business owner and have many community contacts through various activities I'm involved in.

Why did you decide to join the Yarrawonga Health Consumer Advisory Committee?
I am passionate about giving back to the community that has supported me throughout my life. Through the Community Advisory Committee, I hope to advocate for the needs of local families and ensure their voices are truly heard. I believe that volunteering strengthens our community, and that we ultimately reap the rewards of what we give.

What experiences from the Health System can you bring to the Committee?
As a member of this Committee, I hope to support our community by truly listening to their needs and advocating on their behalf. I bring lived experience that I can draw upon to help improve health services for others. Having lived here my entire life and accessed many local health services, I understand where improvements are needed to better serve our community.

What do you hope to achieve while on the Committee?
I hope to make a meaningful difference. I want community members to feel comfortable approaching me with their questions, feedback, and opinions so we can work together to strengthen our local health services. Our community matters, and achieving the best outcomes requires collaboration. I want people to be aware of the services available to them, especially in times of need, and to have experiences within the health system that feel supportive rather than overwhelming. Ultimately, I hope to be a strong voice for others and help build a community grounded in trust, knowledge, and confidence.

 How do you advocate for our Community?
I advocate for our community by being a strong and reliable voice for others. I am community-minded and genuinely enjoy connecting with people, hearing their stories, and understanding their experiences and challenges. This helps me represent their needs and ensure all voices are heard. My goal is for us to continually strive to “do better and be better” within our capabilities. I hope to support every community member in their time of need—no matter how big or small—so that together, we can create meaningful and lasting positive change.

Why did you decide to join the Yarrawonga Health Consumer Advisory Committee?
It has been a strong belief of mine that as a member of a small town, that volunteering is integral to the strength of a community. When I was approached to consider a position on this committee I I felt the timing was right to offer my skills and energy to this organisation. I also want to expand my experiences and develop my understanding in this area.

what experiences from the health system can you bring to the committee?
As part of my inclusion on this board, I see myself as an additional voice for marginalized members of our community. I bring with me a wealth of personal and professional experience that I can draw on to be the voice for our community. Having grown up in this area and lived here for most of my life, I have had to draw on services at different times and I can recognize the gap between regions that needs to be filled.

What do you hope to achieve while on the committee?
I want to make a difference. I want my voice and my experiences to not be in vain. I want people to benefit and have an easier pathway to the services that our community can offer. I remember being avoided by mothers in social settings. I remember as a young mother, the feeling and the looks I received when in the supermarket with children having meltdowns.  I can now use my voice to speak for these people who feel helpless. I want to create a greater awareness and shine the light on these services that will help integrate our diverse community.  I hope to build capacity and community trust.

How can you advocate for our community?
As a natural people-person, I can advocate for our community at the grass-roots level.  I enjoy meeting new people, learning what services are offered to our community.   I will be drawing upon my own real life experiences, knowing how vital is that a voice be heard and the difference it can make for those who are experiencing hardship and feel isolated and unsupported.  I am passionate about aiding others through identifying gaps in the system or areas of marginalized members of our community and ensuring they are being offered the support they require.

Why did you decide to join the Yarrawonga Health Consumer Advisory Committee?
I decided to join the Yarrawonga Health Consumer Advisory Committee as I am passionate about excellent healthcare, especially being able to access care close to home as much as possible. I also wanted to be a link between our community and our local health service.

What experiences from the health system can you bring to the committee?
I have experience in the health system as a patient as I have suffered from complex health issues. I believe I can utilise my experiences and my consumer journey stories from metropolitan, regional and small health services for my role on the Consumer Advisory Committee for implementing change as well as education.

What do you hope to achieve while on the committee?
I hope to work with Yarrawonga Health to provide a positive experience for all consumers of the Health Service and bring a consumer voice to the table.

How can you advocate for our community?
I can advocate for our community through my past experiences in the health system and my connections within our wider community.

Why did you decide to join the Yarrawonga Health Community  Advisory Committee?
I was approached to be a part of this Committee and I felt that I could be the voice of the indigenous community , the senior members of our community and also be able to bring feedback from my connections in the local area

what experiences from the health system can you bring to the committee?
I often use the services  of Yarrawonga Health urgent care and have e community members who provide me with feedback on their experiences within the broader health service system

What do you hope to achieve while on the committee?
I hope to be able to provide the health service with feedback from our community, to assist the Yarrawonga Health staff in giving our community the best health service that we can

How can you advocate for our community?
I have lived in the Yarrawonga community for a period of time and have family in the area. I am an indigenous woman and I am passionate about our communities all working together to make our local area have a greater understanding of culture and how we work together

Why did you decide to join the Yarrawonga Health Consumer Advisory Committee?
As a member of the CAC Committee l hope to brake down the stigma of Mental illness in our community.

It’s Ok not to be Ok.

What experiences from the health system can you bring to the committee?
Having had a lived experience of depression and anxiety l know that it is extremely important to address problems with children and youth so that they don’t become broken adults.

No one is immune to Mental Illness

According to the National Institute of Mental Health nearly one-in-five adults live with a Mental Illness.

Contributing factors can be. - biological such as genes, brain chemistry and life experiences such as trauma and abuse. And a family history of mental health problems Depression is exhausting, isolating, completely life altering and sometimes deadly.

Almost 32% of Australians aged 18- 24 years have experienced suicidal behaviours in the past 12 months.

For every death by suicide in Australia it is estimated that there are 30 attempts made.

It is also known the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people in the LGBTQI+ community are more likely to die by suicide.

Why did you decide to join the Yarrawonga Health Consumer Advisory Committee?
I decided to join the Yarrawonga Health Consumer Advisory Committee in order that i could continue to provide an impact from a community perspective that might assist in developing hospital policies that are aimed at providing the best health care in our community.

What experiences from the health system can you bring to the committee?
Having had the opportunity of serving on the Yarrawonga Health board for many years, i have the added advantage of that experience when making decisions and assist with the ongoing work of our consumer advisory committee.

What do you hope to achieve while on the committee?
My hope is through the combined efforts of the Consumer Advisory Committee members the hospital policies, plans and reputation can benefit through direct feedback from the community to Yarrawonga Health, with the goal to provide the highest quality of care to our district.

How can you advocate for our community?
I will advocate for the community through my family's business activities and wide personal social contacts will allow me to confidently present the community's needs to the Consumer Advisory Committee