Healthy North Coast held its first annual conference from Friday, 21 October to Sunday, 23 October. More than 100 healthcare professionals from across the North Coast gathered in Coffs Harbour for the event, which focused on preventive health. The event was proudly supported by the Centre for Healthcare Knowledge & Innovation and HealthPathways Mid and North Coast.
‘I wish to extend my warmest thanks to everyone who attended Healthy North Coast’s inaugural annual conference,’ said Healthy North Coast Acting CEO Monika Wheeler.
‘Back to Health 2022 was a fun-filled and educational few days. I was humbled by the dedication and commitment of more than 100 North Coast healthcare professionals who gave up their weekend to learn more about the preventive health strategies that can keep our communities living well.’
The conference began with a cultural safety training workshop and an on-Country walking tour of Niigi Niigi (Sealy Lookout). Participants tasted bush tucker, took in the scenery and were treated to Dreamtime stories delivered by Troy Robinson and Nathan Brennan from Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation. Watch the highlights video here.
Saturday and Sunday provided a mix of best practise evidence to support chronic disease prevention, from keeping hearts and kidneys healthy to ageing well and understanding the role of dentistry. Workshops included an interactive case-base scenario for prevention and management of diabetes, and an interactive clinician wellbeing workshop that allowed participants to pause and check their own wellbeing battery. There were also sessions that focused on systems change and the future of prevention, including a deep dive into the 2021-30 National Preventive Health Strategy and the Productivity Commission.
Saturday night was a chance to relax and network over dinner, with a keynote speech from mental health wellbeing expert and founder of Heart on My Sleeve, Mitch Wallis. The evening was thought-provoking and informative and was topped off with some fun on the dance floor, flamed by the sounds of the Matty Devitt Band.
Conference facilitator, Dr Caroline West was honoured to lead the program and was impressed by the topics on offer.
‘Congratulations to Healthy North Coast for such a wonderful conference showcasing preventive health,’ Dr West said.
‘It was timely indeed, as so many of us, with our focus on COVID, were in desperate need of a pick- me-up, face to face, that reminded us all of what we could be doing to carry the torch forward for prevention.
‘There were great presentations that gave us a sense of the overarching preventative strategy along with very practical sessions on what we can be doing now and how we can form alliances.’
Dr West said some of the highlights for her included:
- the talks on health at any age, particularly around falls prevention, dementia prevention
- how valuable it is to have systems of check-up for chronic conditions
- the value of nurses in the preventative model
- the rich resources available with HealthPathways and the very practical workshop
- the economics of how we decide what to screen for
- dinner speaker Mitch Wallis, who really connected on an emotional level, with plenty of wise suggestions to take away
- gut health – really interesting to see how that intersects with health on so many levels
- the digital future of health and prevention – Dr Simon Kos was thought-provoking regarding what is next
- how everyone needs to think about their own health and prioritise time for that.
If you missed the conference this year, watch the highlights video and be sure to come to the next one!
