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The Champion Professional: Issue 70
This issue:
- 9 out of 10 Australians to have a My Health Record
- Hep B Community Sessions for Lunar New Year
- It’s Raining Winners!
9 out of 10 Australians to have a My Health Record
The Australian Digital Health Agency has recently announced that nine out of ten Australians will have a My Health Record following the conclusion of the opt-out period.
Based on the number of people eligible for Medicare as at 31 January 2019 (25,459,544), the participation rate is 90.1%, with a national opt-out rate of 9.9%.
While the opt-out period concluded at the end of January, Australians are still able to cancel and have their My Health Record permanently deleted from the system at any time in the future. Similarly, anyone who has opted out can create a record for themselves at any stage if they so choose.
A My Health Record allows a person’s health information to be viewed online, from anywhere, at any time – even if they move or travel interstate. A My Health Record is also intended to allows healthcare providers involved in that person’s care to view their health records. Health professionals can upload, view and share documents, giving them a more detailed picture with which to make decisions, diagnose and provide treatment.
While there are strict rules and regulation about who can see and use My Health Record – to protect individuals’ information from misuse – Hepatitis NSW, prior to the opt-out period, acknowledged that stigma and discrimination within the healthcare system can also be factors for people living with, at risk of, or cured of viral hepatitis. Our advice prior to the closure of the opt-out period was that people should consider their personal circumstances and remain in or opt-out accordingly.
People can securely access their My Health Record via the myGov portal.
Hep B Community Sessions for Lunar New Year
February marked the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, celebrating the Year of the Pig. There have been many community events across Sydney during the month which offered a chance for engagement around hepatitis B.
Hepatitis NSW delivered our first Mandarin education session in 2019 at Auburn Centre for Community, on February 13 – the ninth day of the Lunar New Year. Auburn Diversity Services organised their Chinese singing group to participate in this activity.
The audience was enthusiastic about the lecture and were highly engaged, asking many questions after the workshop. There was positive feedback on how well the workshop had improved attendees’ hep B knowledge as well as help remove their stigma towards people living with hep B.
Apart from general knowledge on hep B transmission, prevention and monitoring, the session also delivered the message from the National Hepatitis B Strategy which aims to eliminate hep B within the family, prevent cancer, and destigmatise people living with the virus.
Hepatitis NSW also participated in the Lunar New Year event at Ultimo Community centre on February 17. Lion dance, a Kung Fu workshop, Tai Chi workshop, table tennis tournament and calligraphy group provided a fun experience for the more than 120 people in attendance. Many visitors were highly interested in the hep B education with 60 quizzes collected!
Both sessions were presented by Cristina, our new and very talented Hep B Project Officer.
It’s Raining Winners!
Hepatitis NSW is always keen to know how effective and accessible our various resources are, and so ask readers to give us feedback via survey forms in print or online. This helps us to assess what is working or if any changes are required. For example, crunching the data from the several hundred Tx! MAG feedback forms received last year showed us that, as much as readers enjoyed the comics and the stories, they were also very keen to see more puzzles and competitions included (and we’ve obliged from the next edition onwards!).
The feedback also helps us meet our KPIs, both those required by NSW Health and our own self-imposed quality targets.
To say thank you (and to act as an incentive!), we offer gift card prizes that can be used in a range of Coles/Myer outlets. Winners are chosen through regular, selected at random, draws. Here are the most recent winners – congratulations to all!
- Melissa N [$100/Liver Cirrhosis booklet]
- Melvyn K [$100/Yarnin’ booklet]
- Matthew R [$100/What You Need To Know booklet]
- Karen R, Kirk M, Amber M and Ian M [$100 each/Tx! MAG #29]
You (or your clients) can be part of any future draws, the survey forms are found in most of our printed resources >>>CLICK HERE TO ORDER or >>>ONLINE (NSW residents only).
