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July News

15 July 2010 - Deputy Chief Minister congratulates outstanding achievements in ICT - ACT Deputy Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, has congratulated local winners of the 2010 Australian Information Industry Association iAwards for excellence in information communications technology. 

14 July 2010 - Gungahlin Seniors share their favourite ‘Memories & Munchies’ - Katy Gallagher has launched a reflective book entitled ‘Memories and Munchies’, a collection of life stories and favourite recipes provided by seniors who access services provided by the Gungahlin Regional Community Service Inc.

13 July 2010 - Canberra Hospital’s Walk-in Centre seeing more than 1000 patients a month - Australia’s first public nurse-led Walk-in Centre had been well received by the Canberra community, with more than 2000 people seeking advice or treatment in the eight weeks since it opened.

11 July 2010 - ACT Health expertise in demand overseas - ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, said she was excited and pleased to hear that the successful, locally developed COMPASS training program had been delivered overseas for the first time.

8 July 2010 - Launch of new state-of-the-art MRI for Canberra Imaging Group - A new state-of-the-art Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine is testament to the world class health services being delivered in the ACT.

8 July 2010 - $360,000 funding announced for Health Promotion Sponsorships - The ACT Government is providing $360,000 in funding in 2010-11 to sponsor sporting, recreational, arts and cultural organisations which promote the Government’s priority health messages.

7 July 2010 - Acting Chief Minister congratulates 2010 ACT Telstra Business Awards recipients - Acting Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has congratulated all the winners of last night’s 2010 ACT Telstra Business Awards.

7 July 2010 - New information management system for our Intensive Care Units - ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, today announced the introduction of a new digital information management system for Intensive Care Units (ICUs) at Canberra Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital.

5 July 2010 - Shuttle bus to assist during temporary parking arrangements at Canberra Hospital - The implementation of a new shuttle bus service at Canberra Hospital will assist patients, visitors and staff during the next phase of temporary parking arrangements set to come into effect at the hospital this Saturday.

5 July 2010 - Important public holiday information - The ACT will observe a public holiday next year on Tuesday the 26th of April, the day after Easter Monday.

2 July 2010 - $3.9 billion Budget for a Growing City passes the Assembly - ACT Treasurer, Katy Gallagher, has welcomed the Greens’ support to pass the 2010-11 Budget, ensuring the Government can get on with the job of delivering essential services, investing in valuable community infrastructure and responding to the needs of our growing city.

1 July 2010 - $204,165 funding to Stay on Your Feet - ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, has announced funding of more than $200,000 for organisations to carry out falls prevention programs that help older Canberrans stay on their feet.

1 July 2010 - Record demand but Emergency Department waiting times continue to improve - Despite our public hospitals reporting record levels of presentations to emergency departments, waiting times continue to improve.

1 July 2010 - Get Healthy Service to be provided in the ACT - A new telephone coaching service will be available from today for Canberrans seeking assistance and support to change unhealthy habits and reduce their risk of chronic disease.

June News

30 June 2010 - Free whooping cough vaccine for parents and grandparents to continue - The free whooping cough vaccination program for parents and eligible grandparents had been extended until the end of the year. 

30 June 2010 - Security for building and construction contractor payments - A new adjudication process for resolving payment disputes in the building and construction industry comes into effect tomorrow.

25 June 2010 - Red Noses save kids’ lives - ACT Health Minister, Katy Gallagher, today praised the work of SIDS and Kids in saving the lives of babies and children during pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood, and supporting bereaved families.

24 June 2010 - New Strategy to continue reduction of harmful impacts of drug use - ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, has marked Drug Action Week with the release of the ACT Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Strategy 2010–2014.

22 June 2010 - Government tables response to Assembly Inquiry - A report from the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health, Community and Social Services on access to primary health care confirms that the ACT Government’s initiatives in the area of general practice are appropriate and well-targeted.

22 June 2010 - Stamp duty and payroll tax changes - Stamp duty will be abolished on applications to register caravans and camper trailers in the ACT from 1 July, after the Legislative Assembly today passed the Duties Amendment Bill 2010.

22 June 2010 - Increased disclosure of executive remuneration for Territory-Owned Corporations - The remuneration paid to directors and executives of Territory-owned Corporations will soon be disclosed in annual reports, after the ACT Government introduced a bill into the Legislative Assembly requiring increased disclosure.

May News

19 May 2010 - ACT Health building the capacity of allied health - ACT Health will deliver more than $130,000 in funding this year to support the professional development of the ACT's allied health professionals.

19 May 2010 - Teaching Incentive Payments: Supporting GPs - New teaching incentive payments for GPs have now commenced and will provide crucial support to general practices, the ANU Medical School and ANU medical students.

19 May 2010 - Workers' Compensation Act changes to benefit private sector employers - The ACT Government is taking action to ensure employers fulfil their obligations to workers by having workers’ compensation insurance and ensure those employers doing the right thing aren’t bearing the costs for those who are shirking their responsibilities.

19 May 2010 - State-of-the-art neurosurgery suite a step closer - A major milestone will be reached later this month when ACT Health takes delivery of a five tonne magnet to be used in its new intra-operative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) neurosurgery suite.

18 May 2010 - Walk-in Centre opens to the public - The Minister has announced new prescribing rights for nurse practitioners, on the same day Canberra’s nurse-led Walk-in Centre opened for business.

17 May 2010 - Women's and Children's Hospital plans open for comment - The plans for the ACT’s new Women’s and Children’s Hospital are now open for public comment.

13 May 2010 - ACT Nurse and ACT Midwife of the Year - Katy Gallagher has congratulated the winners of this year’s ACT Nurse and Midwife of the Year awards and thanked all of the ACT’s hardworking nursing staff for their efforts every day.

12 May 2010 - Australia's first public nurse-led Walk-in Centre launched in Canberra - International Nurses’ Day was celebrated by the Federal Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon and ACT Minister for Health Katy Gallagher as they launched Australia’s first public nurse-led Walk-in Centre.

12 May 2010 - New Calvary ICU approaches completion - Katy Gallagher today visited Calvary Hospital to inspect progress on the new 16 bed Intensive Care Unit/Coronary Care Unit/High Dependency Unit (ICU/CCU/HDU) currently under construction.

10 May 2010 - ACT a leader in Lupus research - Clinicians and researchers in Canberra are leading a national effort to gain a better understanding of lupus.

7 May 2010 - Supporting General Practice: 2010 GP Development Fund Round 2 Opens - Katy Gallagher has announced the opening of the second round of the 2010 GP Development Fund - a $4 million grants program over four years to help sustain and support the general practice workforce.

4 May 2010 - New Cancer Centre and Community Health facilities delivered in Budget - A number of new infrastructure projects will be delivered through the 2010-11 ACT Budget that progress the Government’s commitment to rebuild our healthcare system from the ground up.

4 May 2010 - Budget funds further action on preventative health - The ACT Government has announced funding in the 2010-11 ACT Budget of $17.836 million for a range of initiatives directed towards supporting vulnerable members of our community on the road to better health.

4 May 2010 - Boost to Mental Health funding - Mental health services in the ACT will receive a funding boost through the 2010-11 ACT Budget to help meet the demand for services and support the mental health workforce.

4 May 2010 - More funding for cancer services to meet increasing demand - The ACT Budget provides new funding of $4.184 million over the next four years for cancer services to help meet continuing and emerging demand for cancer care.

4 May 2010 - Budget increases obstetric and gynaecology services - The ACT Government has allocated $8.6 million over four years in the 2010-11 Budget to enhance public obstetric and gynaecology services for women in the ACT.

4 May 2010 - More beds to increase health system capacity - The 2010-11 ACT Budget will deliver more funding for acute care services and more public hospital beds to increase the overall capacity of our health system.

4 May 2010 - More elective surgery operations funded through 2010-11 Budget - The 2010-11 ACT Budget provides an additional $14.7 million in funding over the next four years to perform 800 more elective surgery operations in the 2010-11 financial year, above the target achieved in 2009-10.

4 May 2010 - Budget funds health services to meet continuing growth in demand - The ACT Government is responding to growing demand for health services, allocating an additional $177 million over four years in recurrent funding to health services in the 2010-11 Budget.

4 May 2010 - 2010-11 Budget: A Budget for Our Growing City - The 2010-11 ACT Budget responds to the needs of our growing city and continues the Government’s investment in essential services and valuable community infrastructure.

3 May 2010 - ACT Health Minister encourages Canberrans to get flu vaccination - Katy Gallagher has rolled up her sleeve to get her seasonal influenza vaccination to encourage other Canberrans to consider getting the vaccination.

April News

29 April 2010 - Plans unveiled for the ACT’s new $97M Women's and Children's Hospital - The ACT’s new Women’s and Children’s Hospital took another major step forward today with the announcement of the construction Project Manager and the unveiling of the preliminary sketch plans.

28 April 2010 - Supporting General Practice: 2010 ACT Health – ANU GP Scholarships - A new scholarship program aims to encourage medical students from the Australian National University (ANU) to specialise in general practice and work in Canberra after graduation.

18 April 2010 - Record amount of scholarship funding for ACT nurses and midwives - ACT Health will deliver an unprecedented amount of funding this year to support the professional development of the ACT’s nurses and midwives.

16 April 2010 - British GPs encouraged to Live in Canberra - The ACT Government has begun a targeted advertising campaign to attract GPs from the United Kingdom.

16 April 2010 - ACT Government support for the economy pays dividends - The ACT Treasurerhas welcomed the latest CommSec State of the States report which has again ranked the ACT as the best performing economy in the country.

9 April 2010 - Expansion of Suicide Prevention Services - The Minister for Health has launched OzHelp Foundation’s new premises..

7 April 2010 - Minister opens new assessment, treatment and support service for mental health consumers - Consumers with mental health issues including those in crisis or acutely unwell will now receive assessment, treatment and support in a new environment following the official opening of a new Mental Health Assessment Unit at Canberra Hospital.

6 April 2010 - Kids at Play: Keeping ACT Kids Healthy and Well - ACT Health Minister, Katy Gallagher MLA has welcomed the launch of new resources for the Kids at Play – Active Play and Eating Well Project.

1 April 2010 - Canberra Hospital Birth Centre marks major milestone - The Birth Centre at the Canberra Hospital has celebrated 18 years of service and the delivery of more than 5000 babies.

March News

31 March 2010 - Major improvements in bed occupancy rates thanks to Government investment - The latest ACT Health quarterly performance report shows significant improvements in bed occupancy rates thanks to the investments this Government has made to increase the capacity of our health system.

31 March 2010 - ACT Health announces new patient management technology for Calvary Hospital - ACT Health has signed a contract worth more than $2 million with iSOFT Group Limited for new patient and emergency software applications at Calvary Public Hospital.

30 March 2010 - ACT Health awarded Healthy Communities Grant - ACT Health has been awarded a Commonwealth grant to help prevent overweight and related chronic conditions amongst disadvantaged adults in the ACT.

27 March 2010 - New heritage signs to celebrate Downer’s 50th Birthday - In celebration of the suburb’s 50th birthday, Deputy Chief Minister Katy Gallagher today joined the Downer Community Association to unveil new heritage signage.

24 March 2010 - Aboriginal family donates artwork to the Canberra Hospital - The ACT Health Minister has accepted the artwork ‘Possum Dreaming’ from an Aboriginal family, which has donated the painting as a way of thanking Canberra Hospital staff for the culturally sensitive care, commitment and professionalism provided to a family member.

18 March 2010 - New Calvary option proposed - The ACT Government is exploring the option of purchasing Calvary Public Hospital from Little Company of Mary Health Care whilst LCMHC continues to operate the hospital.

18 March 2010 - Access to Health Records clarified - The ACT Legislative Assembly has passed the Health Legislation Amendment Bill No.2 to require general practices to notify ACT Health and consumers of practice closures, mergers and relocations. The bill also seeks to clarify the law around consumer access to health records.

17 March 2010 - Minister announces site for Secure Mental Health Unit - The former Quamby Youth Detention Centre site has been selected as the location for the ACT’s new 15 bed Secure Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit.

16 March 2010 - ACT Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Bill 2009 - The ACT Legislative Assembly has passed the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Bill 2009 to enable the ACT to join the national scheme for registering and accrediting health practitioners.

16 March 2010 - ‘Just Ask’ campaign to improve consumer health literacy - ACT Health Minister Katy Gallagher has joined the Pharmacy Guild of Australia in reminding health care consumers that it is okay to ask your pharmacist for consumer medication information when purchasing prescription medicines.

15 March 2010 - ACT welcomes investment in health workforce - The Health Minister today welcomed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s commitment to increase the number of training places for medical graduates across the nation.

14 March 2010 - New regulations planned for solaria and tanning units - Solaria and tanning units will need to be registered and their owners and operators licensed under new regulations being developed by the ACT Government.

8 March 2010 - Grants available for programs to prevent falls - The ACT Health Minister is encouraging groups to apply for the latest round of funding for projects that reduce the incidence and severity of falls and injuries among older Canberrans.

5 March 2010 - ACT Health doctors complete specialised retrieval training - Six doctors from ACT Health have undertaken specialised training in land based rescue and retrieval operations this week to further enhance the capabilities of the Snowy Hydro SouthCare Rescue Helicopter Service. 

4 March 2010 - New Walk-in Centre staff begin 10 week training program - A major step towards Australia’s first public nurse-led Walk-in Centre has been taken this week with 12 staff beginning a training program in preparation of the centre’s opening.

February News

26 February 2010 - $397,000 in funding to promote healthy schools - The Minister has announced the projects to receive a slice of almost $400,000 in funding to promote healthy school communities as part of the Government’s preventative health measures.

25 February 2010 - Input sought on two new health plans - Two new health strategies are a positive step towards improving the responsiveness to the health care needs of women and people living with renal conditions.

24 February 2010 - Terry Connolly ORGANised Walk - ACT Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister, Katy Gallagher, has joined over a thousand Canberrans for the Terry Connolly ORGANised Walk at Regatta Point as part of Australian Organ Donor Awareness Week.

23 February 2010 - Committee report confirms Government approach - Today’s report from the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health, Community and Social Services regarding access to primary health care in the ACT confirms that the Government’s approach to supporting general practice is the right one.

22 February 2010 - Launch of DonateLife ACT - To mark the start of Australian Organ Donor Awareness Week, ACT Health Minister, Katy Gallagher has launched the new DonateLife ACT offices and specialist workforce.

17 February 2010 - Changes to TCH parking as Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit project commences - A development application has been lodged for the new Adult Mental Health Unit with construction expected to begin by the middle of the year, resulting in temporary changes to parking arrangements on and around the Canberra Hospital campus.

12 February 2010 - ACT Government supporting access to primary health care - The Government is supporting access to primary health care by developing a nurse-led Walk-in Centre, investing $12 million to support and grow our GP workforce, and securing additional GP training places for Canberra.

11 February 2010 - Government’s strong record on economic management continues - The Budget Review shows considerable improvement in the Territory’s estimated bottom line, confirming that the Government’s approach to managing the economy through the global financial crisis has been the right one.

9 February 2010 - Record number of Graduate Nurses commence in ACT Health - Katy Gallagher has welcomed the 86 graduate nurses who commenced in the ACT Health Graduate Nurse Program this week. 

January News

20 January 2010 - Vaccinate your kids ahead of the school year - With the next influenza season predicted to start early this year, parents are urged to take advantage of the free swine flu vaccine and ensure their children are protected ahead of the new school year.

20 January 2010 - Podiatry health promotion DVD launch - The Health Minister has launched a new DVD which will help older people maintain healthy feet.

18 January 2010 - ACT health research unlocks Lupus secrets - ACT Health Minister, Katy Gallagher has congratulated researchers at Canberra Hospital and the Australian National University (ANU) for their work, which may lead to new therapies for some groups of lupus patients.

15 January 2010 - Local Researchers receive funding boost from ACT Government - An internet-based anxiety prevention program for schools and the effects of hypertension and gestational diabetes on infants are among the research projects awarded funding by the ACT Government.

14 January 2010 - ACT Health researcher wins National PhD award - ACT Health Minister, Katy Gallagher has congratulated ACT Health’s Dr Peter Nugus on winning the prestigious “Jean Martin Award” for the best PhD in the Australian social sciences 2007-09.

14 January 2010 - ACT Government pledges $50,000 following Haiti earthquake - Acting Chief Minister Katy Gallagher announced $50,000 in emergency relief funding for Haiti following yesterday’s earthquake near the capital Port-au-Prince.

13 January 2010 - Good progress on capital works program - The ACT Treasurer has released the latest report on capital works in the Territory, noting that the Government was making good progress in the delivery of its 2009-10 program.

13 January 2010 - Last chance to nominate your choice for 2010 Canberra Citizen of the Year - Canberrans have less than two weeks to nominate someone they deem worthy of consideration for the 2010 Canberra Citizen of the Year award.

12 January 2010 - ACT Government supports new ANZAC tradition - Acting ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher is supporting calls for the New Zealand national anthem to be played during ANZAC Day commemorations in ACT schools, starting this year.

11 January 2010 - ACT economy amongst the strongest - The ACT economy had weathered the Global Financial Crisis better than most, with ACT Treasurer, Katy Gallagher, noting that economists had today named the Territory as one of the strongest performing in Australia.

11 January 2010 - Young Canberran undertakes epic bike ride - Katy Gallagher has acknowledged the efforts of Canberra’s Sarah McDonald in undertaking an ambitious and gruelling bike ride from Sydney to Melbourne via Canberra to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease.

11 January 2010 - Newborn webcam goes live - A new webcam service will overcome the tyranny of distance for new parents who cannot regularly visit their babies in Canberra Hospital’s Centre for Newborn Care.

10 January 2010 - Canberra Glassworks art on show to the world - A major glass artwork being created in Canberra will go on display in China this year before settling in to its permanent home at the new Women’s and Children’s hospital to be built on the Canberra Hospital campus.

7 January 2010 - Stamping Out Chlamydia at Summernats - ACT Health will offer free Chlamydia screening at this year’s Summernats Festival as part of its broader efforts to stamp out the Sexually Transmissible Infection.

6 January 2010 - Vaccination Program targets Whooping Cough - The targeted Adult Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination Program will be extended until the 30th of June 2010.

4 January 2010 - ACT Health attracts a record number of graduate nurses - ACT Health has received a record 272 applications for the 2010 ACT Health Graduate Nurse Program intake – a 60 per cent increase on the number of applications received for 2009.  

2 January 2010 - Mammography to go digital in 2010 - ACT Health will take delivery of a state-of-the-art suite of digital mammography equipment early in the new year, including breast screening machines and an image storage and retrieval system.

1 January 2010 - ACT home buyers benefit from Government Assistance - AC T home buyers are set to benefit from today with the thresholds for duty concession assistance to increase.

2009 News Archive