Health Consumers Alliance of SA Inc. in Adelaide, South Australia | Medical and health

Health Consumers Alliance of SA Inc.

Locality: Adelaide, South Australia

Phone: +61 8 8231 4169

Address: Level 3 12 Pirie Street 5000 Adelaide, SA, Australia

Website: http://www.hcasa.asn.au

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• Medical and health
• Non-profit organisation
• Social service

24.01.2022 9/07/2020 COVID-19 update for South Australia. Key messages as provided by Premier Steven Marshall this morning at a press conference updating the state on measures being put in place in light of the COVID-19 situation in Victoria. ... *PLEASE SHARE*

24.01.2022 Happy International Non-Binary People’s Day from SARAA [Video transcript: Hey everyone, I’m Varo from the South Australian Rainbow Ad...vocacy Alliance and I just want to wish you all a happy International Non-Binary People’s Day! Today falls right in the middle of International Men’s Day and International Women’s Day and for me that really goes some way toward representing what it means to be non-binary. That is, identifying as neither male, nor female, but as something else altogether. Whether that be having no gender, multiple genders or a fluid gender identity. Our world is really divided into binaries of male and female, and for me I’ve never really felt like I fit into either of those boxes. There’s so many ways that our society can be more inclusive of gender diverse people, whether that be using our pronouns, offering gender neutral facilities or using gender inclusive language. So to our allies out there, I really want to challenge you to take today and every day to think about how gender impacts our society and how we can be more inclusive of people who are gender diverse. And lastly to all of our gender diverse friends, be it non-binary, gender queer, gender fluid today is yours, so have a great day! You are loved, you are seen, and know that the South Australian Rainbow Advocacy Alliance will always be advocating for your rights. Happy International Non-Binary People’s Day!]

22.01.2022 Over the coming weeks, we want to share the stories and experiences of health consumer advocates that have worked with HCASA over the past 18 years. In this interview we hear from experienced consumer advocate, Penelope McMillan as she shares her thoughts about consumer advocacy in South Australia and the impact HCASA's closure will have. Let us know what your experience with HCASA has been over the years?!

22.01.2022 Our third interview is with experienced health consumer advocate and HCASA Board Member, Lynda Whiteway. "Without HCASA there will be no one looking out for the rights of consumers within the health system, and I think that's extremely sad." Watch Lynda's interview here; https://bit.ly/2FHcbjM

18.01.2022 Staff meetings work a bit differently when you don't have an office... Our staff moved to remote work along with the rest of the world in March. The staff and our board then made the decision to close our office and continue working from home permanently. This has resulted in a greater work/life balance for staff and has also made our staff catch ups a lot more meaningful and productive!... We also love that we get to support local businesses in the process

16.01.2022 Due to the heightened public health risk with the current outbreak in Victoria, SA Health are asking ALL South Australians experiencing the following symptoms, no matter how mild, to get tested for COVID-19: Fever or chills Cough Sore throat Runny nose... Shortness of breath Loss of taste or smell How to get tested: Call your GP for an assessment. You may be tested in the clinic or provided with a referral (specimen collection request form) to attend a drive-through testing clinic. OR Visit a dedicated COVID-19 or Respiratory Clinic to be assessed and tested. Some clinics require you to call ahead and make a booking. For more information on how and where to get tested, including what to do after your test, visit: https://bit.ly/323hcfy You can also call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787 to find a testing location. Remember, in an emergency always call Triple Zero (000).

16.01.2022 SA Premier Steven Marshall updating on the South Australian response to COVID-19 and the hard closure of the SA/VIC border. The premier announced the following: 1. Testing blitz beginning immediately in South Australia for all people who have been into Victoria in recent weeks. ... All people who have been to Victoria are being asked to present themselves for testing, even those without any symptoms. 2. As of midnight last night (08/07/20) all South Australians returning from Victoria will be required to undertake a COVID-19 test once crossing the boarder within 24 hours. A further test will be required on day 12 of their 14 day isolation.Those that return a negative test result will still be required to complete the 14 day isolation. The police Commissioner, Grant Stevens, has stated that compliance checks of isolation will increase during this time. Those crossing the boarder are being provided with face masks that they are required to wear when they are coming into contact with any person in SA. They will also be provided with pre-signed referral forms in order to undertake immediate testing and will be notified of the closest of the over 50 rapid testing sites across the state. All South Australians crossing back into SA will also receive a phone call within 24 hours of their arrival to check that they have undertaken a COVID-19 test. 3. A fleet of mobile testing vans will be mobilised next week to provide COVID-19 tests in hot spots, rural areas or metropolitan areas where more tests are required. These will operate similarly to drive-through testing sites and results will be available via SMS. Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, stated that tests will not be mandatory and reinforced her belief the need for those that have symptoms to present for testing as soon as symptoms arise on top of the request made for all South Australians coming into SA from Victoria to have a test within 24 hours of their arrival. Professor Spurrier emphasised the importance of the 14 day quarantine and the compliance of that being most important. Professor Spurrier emphasised that during winter, many people will have symptoms of the common cold and while normally they would not do anything for this, due to the numbers of COVID in Victoria, she implores people to get tested if they have any respiratory symptoms. Watch below for the full update. COVID-19 testing sites across SA can be found here; https://bit.ly/3ec9J0j

16.01.2022 "Consumers remain concerned about the conflicting messaging such as maintaining social distancing but the need for many people to catch overcrowded public transport for work. There isn’t any definitive messaging about wearing masks, whether we should or shouldn’t be wearing them." Report 3 from the COVID-19 Consumer Reference Group is now available here - https://bit.ly/315rgnN

16.01.2022 Final HCASA eNews is now ready to read >>> https://bit.ly/33hvWqh <<< This is a goodbye for now, but hopefully not forever <3 Thank you to all of our members, consumers, supporters and friends. ... Read our FINAL eNews to find out more about HCASA's legacy and history and how you can keep connected with health consumer advocacy in South Australia.

14.01.2022 Thank you Thank you to our members. Thank you to the consumer advocates. Thank you to all those who joined us for our Special General Meeting this afternoon.... We felt honoured to acknowledge the hard work of consumer advocates in South Australia. Consumers who are out every day fighting for consumers to be at the centre of health in South Australia. More HCASA news to be announced in the coming days.

10.01.2022 #ThrowbackThursday to the first Open Disclosure focus group HCASA hosted with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care in July 2019. Next Monday we will be wrapping up this year long piece of work with a final focus group to develop consumer friendly resources to ensure consumers can access and understand the open disclosure process.

10.01.2022 Special packs, including face masks and pre-signed referrals are being given to everyone who has been approved to enter our state from Victoria. People will be... required to get a COVID-19 test within the first 24 hours of arriving, and again on day 12 of their 14 day self-isolation period. Importantly, the pre-signed referrals eliminate the process of seeing a GP and mean people can go straight to a testing facility. It's part of our continued efforts to protect South Australians from the spread of COVID-19 and keep our economy strong.

08.01.2022 In this interview we hear from Margaret Chester. Margaret is an experienced consumer advocate who has been involved with HCASA before there was a HCASA to speak of! We are thankful for Margaret's years of involvement and support of HCASA and all that we do. Watch Margaret's interview here >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch

08.01.2022 Have you ever had something go wrong with your health care? We want to know what your experience was, either your personal experience or an experience with a loved one. This survey focuses on the health service and/or health professional's response to you or your loved one and how they shared and discussed what went wrong and what your options were.... Find the survey here - www.surveymonkey.com/r/PHV3GFW Get in touch with us at [email protected] if you have any further questions.

08.01.2022 While COVID has put a great distance between us all physically, we have connected with hundreds more consumers and community members since we moved to remote meetings in March. The accessibility and connectivity of online meetings via Zoom, Teams, Blue Jeans... whatever service you use, has meant more voices being heard and we don't want to go back! Today we met remotely with 21 consumers in two focus groups to consult on consumer resources for Open Disclosure processes. The...se resources will support consumers and their loved ones navigate conversations with doctors, nurses, hospitals and other health practitioners and services when something doesn't go to plan. Thank you to all the consumers who attended our virtual focus groups today - the experience and knowledge in the "room" was astounding!

08.01.2022 "We need to remember that we are the only state without a peak body, every other state in this country has a peak body. Our state is the only one that's not funding a peak body for health and letting HCASA close shows a lack of care for consumer voice in this state and nationally." The second Health Consumer Stories video is now available. We talk to Victoria Bedford, Health Consumer Advocate and HCASA Treasurer about her experiences with HCASA. Find it here > https://www.youtube.com/watch

07.01.2022 HCASA staff, board members and South Australian consumers are joining around 300 consumer advocates, community members and staff from consumer peak bodies from every state in Australia this morning in an online national forum to discuss the COVID-19 recovery pathways for Australia. We're excited to be engaging with the wider Australian consumer community to join in a shared process that we hope will see the consumer voice included in planning and decision making.

06.01.2022 We spoke with consumer and carer advocate, Mario Corena who shared his thoughts about his work with HCASA over the years and the space that will be left once our doors are closed in 5 days. Watch his interview here; https://youtu.be/0C8-kuLJKnw

06.01.2022 *BREAKING* SA borders to reopen to travellers from WA, NT and Tasmania as of midnight tonight, 16 June 2020. The change means travellers from those jurisdictions will no longer need to isolate themselves for 14 days when they arrive in South Australia.... Read more here - https://ab.co/37vyaUP PLEASE SHARE

02.01.2022 Happy 5th birthday to SAMESH! SAMESH work with the South Australian community to provide sexual health information and support with a truly inclusive and consumer-centred approach.... From rapid HIV testing to peer support workers, the team at SAMESH are leading the way in community-lead advocacy in sexual health.

01.01.2022 #BREAKING South Australia has recorded one new case of COVID-19 in the state. SA Health say the woman has travelled from overseas to Victoria, where she tested ...negative twice while in quarantine, before coming to South Australia. SA Premier Steven Marshall says it is a low positive and she is not contagious but still remains in isolation in South Australia. "They have done all the rights things and got tested when they arrived and she has been in quarantine since." "The remainder of her family have all been tested and found negative." It brings the total number of South Australia cases to 444. More: https://ab.co/3j9vfqg