Healthy Communities
The Healthy Communities Team works across the three core areas of Public Health; Health Promotion, Prevention and Protection.
Health Promotion, Prevention, and Protection all play an important role in creating healthy communities. Our work takes a place-based approach. This means we engage with communities in the places they live, learn, work and play. Learn more about what we’re doing in Healthy Communities below.
Settings we work in: Click on a program to learn more
- Mobile Community Connectors
Alcohol and other drugs counselling at Ballarat Community Health provides support and therapy to individuals who are struggling with substance abuse or addiction, as well as their family members and significant others
- Hepatitis C Education
Ballarat Community Health can provide education and advice in regards to hepatitis C, as well as the monitoring of clients who are undergoing or considering treatment for hepatitis C. - Safer Pathways
Safer Pathways is a federally funded project that aims to increase the safety of women from immigrant, refugee and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It does this by providing community education to immigrant, refugee and culturally and linguistically diverse community members to increase understanding and awareness of family violence and of relevant support services. Safer Pathways also works with mainstream family violence and sexual assault service providers to build their capacity to provide culturally appropriate responses.
Central Highlands Integrated Family Violence Committee Service Directory
Central Highlands Family Violence Services for Refugee and Immigrant Women Directory
Wimmera Family Violence and Associated Services Directory
- Menu planning guidelines for long day care / Menu Assessments
Ballarat Community Health engages and supports long day care services within the Ballarat region to complete a Menu Assessment and may assist in changes. - Achievement Program
Our Health Promotion Officers work with services to meet the requirements of the Achievement Program by providing one-on-one support, policy development assistance, resources and information, as well as providing maintenance support upon completion.
- Smiles 4 Miles
Smiles 4 Miles is an initiative of Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) which aims to improve the oral health of children and their families in high-risk areas across Victoria.
- SecondBite
SecondBite exists to provide access to fresh and nutritious food for people in need by rescuing and redistributing surplus fresh food. - Food Access Network (FAN)
FAN (formed in 2015) enables a collective action to address food insecurity and greater collaboration and resource sharing amongst stakeholders. - Foodbank’s Farms to Families Market
BCH hosts the monthly Foodbank Farms to Families fresh food market every third Thursday of the month in Sebastopol. These invitation only, pop-up markets provide a welcoming space for people experiencing food insecurity to access vegetables, fruit and bread. Each market can provide up to 200 families with food for the week. - Eat Well Feel Good
Inspired by the “Eat Well @ IGA” project trialed in Bendigo IGA supermarkets; Ballarat Community Health is proud to lead the “Eat Well Feel Good Ballarat” project. - Homegrown Project
HomeGrown provides gardening advice, workshops and gardening supplies, like seedlings, to help you grow food at home. Membership is FREE and includes gardening support, troubleshooting, a monthly e-newsletter, gardening supplies and practical workshops to get your home food growing journey started. - Resources
– The Tight Arse Cookbook: This cookbook was created as a resource for people to get confident with cooking on a budget, rather than opting for take away and supermarket fast food options.
– Ballarat Food Relief Information 2023: Food relief, social connection and other resources
- Dereel
- Eat Well Feel Good at Selkirk Stadium
Eat Well Feel Good Ballarat at Selkirk stadium is a joint project with City of Ballarat and is part of VicHealth’s Local Government Partnership Project – Building better food systems for healthier communities.
- Healthy Choices Guidelines
The Victorian Government’s Healthy Choices guidelines help make sure that healthy foods and drinks are offered and promoted in places like sport and recreation centres, hospitals, health services, workplaces and universities.
- Vic Health Local Government Partnership Project
We work in collaboration with local government peak bodies and partner with health promotion experts to provide the best outcome for Victorian councils. Our partners include: Victorian Local Government Association, Municipal Association of Victoria, Deakin University and Latrobe University – among many others
- Achievement Program
Our Health Promotion Officers work with services to meet the requirements of the Achievement Program by providing one-on-one support, policy development assistance, resources and information, as well as providing maintenance support upon completion.
- Flu Clinics
It’s no secret that healthy employees work more productively. Actively supporting the health and wellbeing of your employees leads to better staff retention, reduced sick leave and improved morale. Find out more about the BCH flu clinics by clicking on the heading. - Victorian Network of Smoke Free Health Care Services
The Victorian Network of Smokefree Healthcare Services (VNSHS) is a regional network of the international organisation, The Global Network which aims to facilitate action on tobacco within healthcare services globally. VNSHS was established in 2011 to support the efforts of health services locally and to champion the vital role of health services in tobacco control.
