By Mikayla van Loon
Community health organisation EACH has been chosen to deliver the State Government’s newest initiative to provide better health outcomes for women.
Announcing a free virtual women’s health clinic on Wednesday 5 February, the telehealth and online clinic will offer more access to services like endometriosis and pelvic pain care, menstrual health, cervical screening, menopause care, breast health care and abortion.
EACH chief executive officer Natalie Sullivan said the organisation was thrilled to establish the first statewide service of this kind.
“We’ve seen many barriers that restrict women, girls and gender-diverse people from getting the health care they need: geography, cost, caring responsibilities, and cultural stigma or shame,” she said.
“This virtual clinic addresses this gender health gap by providing free, remote, culturally-safe care.”
Expected to launch by the middle of the year, specialists will be able to provide free, expert medical advice, treatment and care for a range of women’s health needs.
“Our clinical team is made up of specialist nurses, GPs, and allied health professionals — who all have extensive experience working in women’s health and sexual health, and providing care for people in our community who are more at risk of poorer health outcomes,” Ms Sullivan said.
The aim of the virtual clinic is to reduce barriers to care, especially for women in regional and remote Victoria where access to services like contraception and abortion is hard due to distance from major towns.
Ms Sullivan said dedicated women’s health services locally or virtually have an incredible impact on changing the trajectory of someone’s life.
“Our clinical team sees first-hand through our Endometriosis and Pain Clinic how life changing these services are for women and the impact it has on not only their health, but all aspects of their lives,” she said.
The clinic will be able to provide an initial health assessment and some treatment. Some patients may also be connected to a GP or be referred to a relevant health practitioner as close to home as possible.
Triaging of initial needs will also enable the clinic to make further referrals for mental health and wellbeing, alcohol and other drugs, and family violence community support services.
“We’re excited to be leading this important initiative and look forward to helping more Victorians through the virtual clinic,” Ms Sullivan said.
The initiative has been welcomed and commended by leading Monash University Professor Danielle Mazza AM, chief investigator and director of the SPHERE Centre and member of the national and Victorian Women’s Health Advisory Council.
“I applaud the government’s commitment to improving access for Victorian women to essential women’s health services,” she said.
“The addition of an online clinical service dedicated to women’s health, together with the mobile clinic already funded and underway, provides even more avenues for women to receive care, navigation advice and referral into existing and new services.”
This newest service announcement comes after the Labor Government’s landmark women’s pain inquiry which has been followed by a suite of measures aiming to close the gap in health access for women.
It includes the Mobile Women’s Health Clinic van operated by BreastScreen Victoria which has begun hitting the road making free healthcare more accessible for all women and girls in rural and regional parts of Victoria.
Both the mobile and virtual clinics are part of the $153 million women’s health package transforming the way women’s healthcare is delivered in Victoria.
“We know the gender health gap is real, especially for women living in regional or remote areas of Victoria – that is why we’re establishing this virtual women’s clinic to help breakdown the barriers to care,” health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said.
“Abortion care is healthcare, and while we have already made abortion more accessible, we know there is more to do – because Victorian women deserve to have a choice, no matter where they live.”
