THE COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR VICTORIA’S HEALTH PROMOTION CHAMPIONS OF 2016
VicHealth today announced the finalists in the running for the state’s highest health promotion accolades at the 2016 VicHealth Awards Ceremony in December.
Finalists in 2016 include community groups, advocacy groups, arts organisations, councils, health care providers, sporting bodies, emergency services and universities.
This year VicHealth received a record number of nominations across a range of categories including encouraging healthy eating and physical activity, preventing harm from alcohol and tobacco, and improving mental wellbeing.
The new category of ‘Improving Health Equity’ proved to be one of the most popular, with nominees shortlisted for work targeting a diverse range of disadvantaged groups, including regional Victorians, LGBTI community and asylum seekers.
VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said the quality of nominations was fantastic, and reaffirms Victoria as a world-leader in health promotion.
“These groups are tackling some of Victoria’s biggest health promotion issues and making a huge difference to the lives of so many Victorians,” Ms Rechter said.
“We received an unprecedented number of nominations across 11 categories this year, from smaller projects focused on funding start-up projects and increasing employment in communities, to new programs offering innovative digital tools and resources.
“It’s inspiring to see so many organisations working with communities and using health promotion to improve the health and wellbeing of Victorians.”
Finalists will join international and Victorian dignitaries in government and health promotion at the awards ceremony on Thursday 1 December 2016, where the winners will be announced.
The finalists in each category are:
Promoting healthy eating
• Alfred Health – A Drink to Good Health
• City of Greater Bendigo – Creating Healthy Supermarkets for Victorians
• Gateway Community Services – Healthy Food Healthy Communities
• South West Primary Care Partnership - A Healthier South West – Promoting Healthy Eating
• YMCA Victoria – Victoria’s Soft Drink Free Summer
Encouraging physical activity
• Alfred Health – Active Travel @ Alfred Health
• Bicycle Network – MIND.BODY.PEDAL
• Deakin University – REVAMP Study
• Football Federation Victoria – Fit Football: Have a Ball Getting Fit
• South West Primary Care Partnership – A Healthier South West – Encouraging Physical Activity
Preventing tobacco use
• Alfred Health – A Breath of Fresh Air
• Forensicare – Breathe Easy Smoke Free Project
• Inner South Community Health – Smoke Free and Deadly
• Peninsula Health – Mornington Peninsula Junior Football League Goes Smoke Free
Preventing harm from alcohol
• Australasian College for Emergency Medicine – Alcohol Harm in Emergency Departments
• Burnet Institute – MIDY: Mobile Intervention for Drinking among Young People
• cohealth Arts Generator – Be a Brother
• Southern Grampians Glenelg Primary Care Partnership – You’re Enough
• Victoria Police – Alcohol Diversion Program
Improving mental wellbeing
• AFL Victoria – TAC Youth Girls Academy Mental Health & Wellbeing Program
• Beechworth Health Service – HART: Healthy and Resilient Together
• City of Port Phillip – Reach Out for Respect: Gender Equity Primary School Program
• Macedon Ranges Shire Council – Live4Life
• Monash Health – Talking Health: Connecting Health, Hair and Beauty
Communications in health promotion
• Australian Health Policy Collaboration – Australia’s Health Tracker
• Baker IDI – The Rise Recharge app
• Cancer Council Victoria – LiveLighter sugary drinks campaign
• Victorian AIDS Council – Drama Downunder
• Women’s Health Victoria – Women’s Health Atlas
Building health through sport
• City of Greater Dandenong – All Nations Cricket for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants
• Football Federation Victoria – Summer Sevens: Kick off your summer right
• Gymnastics Victoria – Aerobase Program and Online Grand Championships
• Nexus Primary Health – Don’t Let It Get Ugly Project #YOLOLiveWell
• Water Polo Victoria – Pride in Victorian Sport
Building health through art
• Circus Oz – Deadly Elders Circus
• Darebin Arts – Museum of Me 2016
• Footscray Community Art Centre – Creatively Ageing: embOLDen
• Next Wave Festival – Next Wave Festival 2016 Access and Inclusivity
Improving health equity
• Asylum Seeker Resource Centre – The Food Justice Truck
• Murdoch Children’s Research Institute – Healthy Happy Beginnings: innovation to promote refugee child and family health
• National Centre for Farmer Health – Making a Difference to Farmers’ Lives
• Victorian AIDS Council – PRONTO! Promoting sexual health and wellbeing for gay men and trans community
• Voices of the Valley – Health Equity in the Latrobe Valley
• Women’s Legal Service – Link Virtual Outreach Program
Research into action
• Judith Lumley Centre – Eating in Public: Promoting breastfeeding through urban design
• La Trobe University – FitSkills
• Obesity Policy Coalition – Making the case for a tax on sugary drinks
• University of Melbourne – IMPACT project
Outstanding journalism on health promotion issues
• Adam Holmes – Bendigo Advertiser
• Emma Watson – Latrobe Valley Express
• Matilda Marozzi, Rafael Epstein, Mary-Jane Fenech and Sam Stayner – ABC 774 Drive Program
• Samantha Lane – The Age
• Wendy Tuohy – The Herald Sun
For more information about the 2016 VicHealth Awards, visit www/vichealth.vic.gov.au/awards
Media Contact
Cimara Doutré, Senior Media Advisor P 03 9667 1319 M 0435 761 732 E