The Allan Labor Government is making it easier for women and girls in Melton and surrounds to access the sexual and reproductive health care they need and deserve – helping to close a service gap in the west.
Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas officially opened the Melton Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Hub, one of six new hubs to be established across Victoria – taking the overall total hubs to 20 locations, including 12 in regional Victoria.
Operated by Western Health the hub delivers free or low-cost confidential care, including contraception, medical abortion, referral for surgical abortion, and the testing, early diagnosis and treatment of STIs.
For many women, timely, affordable and safe sexual and reproductive healthcare can be difficult to access depending on where they live.
It’s why the Labor Government is delivering more services for women in Melton to help with a range of health needs, including unplanned pregnancy.
According to data from Victoria’s sexual and reproductive advice line, 1800 My Options, Melton has the highest levels of calls seeking advice for unplanned pregnancy – followed by Wyndham, Hume and Whittlesea.
The new service will also help avoid long-term health issues through treatments such as physiotherapy and education to help with pelvic floor issues, reducing the likelihood of incontinence and the need for ongoing treatment and possible hospitalisation.
The network’s workforce is also being supported with more than 150 scholarships awarded through the Women’s Health Scholarship Program – with 19 scholarships worth more than $52,700 awarded to staff at Melton.
The scholarships offer the chance to upskill in areas like IUD insertion, sexual and reproductive health, pelvic physio training, menopause and PCOS, as well as training to promote cultural safety and remove existing barriers for First Nations women, women from migrant and refugee backgrounds and LGBTIQA+ communities.
Both initiatives are part of the Labor Government’s $153 million women’s health package that is also delivering 20 new comprehensive women’s health clinics, mobile and virtual women’s health clinics, a dedicated Aboriginal women’s health clinic, and a doubling in the number of laparoscopies for endometriosis and associated conditions.