UWS health initiatives awarded

Interested in health and wellbeing? So is UWS – from mental health to physical health, the University has a number of initiatives to help staff and students feel good from the inside out. In fact, a number of UWS staff members and health initiatives have recently been recognised, receiving awards and commendations.

The UWS Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy Group received a Certificate of Commendation from the Mental Health Association of NSW (opens in a new window), the Mental Health Commission of NSW (opens in a new window) and NSW Health (opens in a new window) for work in Mental Health Promotion, Prevention of Mental Ill-Health and Early Intervention. This award formed part of the Mental Health Matters Awards, which celebrated and promoted areas of good practice during Mental Health Month in October.

“Promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing, and prevention of mental ill-health alongside an early interventions approach are core components of the UWS Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy,” says Jenny Baines, Head of the UWS Counselling Service.

The UWS Mental Health First Aid team was recently awarded a national MHFA Education Sector Award at the 2013 Mental Health First Aid Australia Awards. “An important part of an early intervention ethos to mental health and ill-health is education and training for the UWS community,” explains Jenny. “Mental Health First Aid training is available to all UWS staff and some targeted student groups. The program helps people to be aware of when and how to support someone who may be experiencing mental health changes.”

Two staff members from the Men’s Health Information and Resource Centre (MHIRC) were recognised at the recent Australian Men’s Health Forum Awards. Professor John Macdonald, Director of MHIRC, has been at the forefront of the Australian and international men’s health movement for more than 15 years. John was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with MHIRC and involvement with national and state-level men’s health policies, including the federal National Men’s Health Policy.

David Thompson, who works within the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, received an award for Significant Contribution to Men’s Work for his work on Men’s Health Week (opens in a new window) and the development of MENGAGE, an online men’s health information and resource hub. David has instigated initiatives that have helped the men’s health community to work well together.

“UWS takes a lot of pride in its engagement with communities, bringing the outcomes of its research to community benefit,” says David. “These initiatives place emphasis on local engagement with men and boys in health, emphasising the importance of what makes us healthy in our local communities and then supporting those efforts through systems, resources and expertise from the University.”

Congratulations to the MHIRC and MHWB teams on these achievements.

To find out more about the University’s Mental Health and Wellbeing (MHWB) Strategy, visit the MHWB webpage (opens in a new window).

For more information on Mental Health First Aid training, visit the MHFA webpage (opens in a new window).

To learn more about men’s health, visit the MHIRC (opens in a new window) or the MENGAGE webpages (opens in a new window).