Bushfire responses and announcements

• Mental Health Response to the Victorian Bushfires
Progress Update No. 1 Referral to Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) - 15 September 2009

• Kinglake Community Medical Centre - Extra GPs needed
Can you help with one day a week? One day a fortnight? One day a month?  Monday-Saturday (inclusive) August - December.
We urgently need some more GPs who can spare an occasional or regular day to support the 10 GP volunteers supporting this bushfire devastated community at the Kinglake Medical Centre.
If you can help at all, even if not immediately, please complete the registration form (click here) and fax back to the North East Valley Division. Substantial Commonwealth government payments paid to GPs supporting this practice at a daily rate.

• Priority counselling services
In response to the bushfire crisis that has affected parts of Victoria, NDGP, through its Better Outcomes in Mental Health Program, is offering PRIORITY COUNSELLING SERVICES TO THOSE DIRECTLY AFFECTED.
Urgent mental health needs should continue to be directed to the Northern Area Mental Health Service Triage on 1300 650 295 (24 hour service).
If you have patients who would benefit from counselling please fax a Referral form to NDGP on 9416 7749, or if you have any further questions please contact Zoi Servinis on Tel. 8480 4617.

•  Financial Assistance for Bushfire affected people
This is a helpful resource for Individuals and Families after the bushfires and is current at 19 March 2009. Mapping of services available from various governemnt agancies including DHS and Centrelink. Click here to access.

• Availability of Medicare Australia services
Residents who have lost property or belongings in the Victoria bushfires are advised that they can obtain a temporary Medicare card number from any Medicare office or through contacting Medicare Australia on 13 20 11.
Provided the person is enrolled in Medicare, no supporting documentation is required. This will allow people to continue to have access to Medicare rebated health services.

Medicare Australia advises Victorians that all Medicare offices in and near the state's bushfire disaster zones remain open.
For your reference, the a detailed message from Medicare Australia (discussing implications for health professionals, including providor number exemptions) has been placed on Medicare Australia's website and can be found on the homepage: www.medicareaustralia.gov.au.

•  Help for distressed bushfire victims and workers
The Brumby Government has established a new telephone counselling support service for all Victorians affected by the devastating bushfires. Phoning Nurse-On-Call Bushfire Health and Counselling Line on 1300 60 60 24 provides another option for people seeking counselling.
Other counselling services available include:

• Lifeline Information Service – 131 114.
• Parentline – 132 289.
• Kids Help Line – 1800 551 800.
• Griefline – 03 9596 7799; Suicide Line – 1300 651 251.
• Rural Support Line – 1300 655 969.
• Beyondblue – 1300 22 4636.

For more bushfire support visit www.dhs.vic.gov.au.

•  Paediatric Review Private Clinic at The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) for children affected by the bushfires
RCH wish to extend an offer of paediatric medical review in our private suites for children involved in the bushfire regions.
We have set aside time specifically for a clinic solely dedicated to this purpose. 
In the first instance, pending demand, this is likely to be a Wednesday morning session. If further sessions are required, we will possible arrange an after hours clinic. Please note, we are not an emergency facility however can see children in a private 'outpatient' capacity for any needs relating to their health. If GP's need specialised paediatric support, they may contact our office on the number  listed below and we will ensure children are seen promptly.  All private consultations for these children will be rebated fully.
Please do not hesitate to contact our office should you choose to discuss this offer of assistance further. For enquiries contact Paula Denny, Practice Manager, on Tel. 9345 6439.
Dr Hugo Gold - Consultant Paediatrician, RCH.
Dr Mike Starr - Consultant Paediatrician, Emergency Physician, RCH.

• Burns Protocols for GPs
 Product and Indication Matrix - Burns, provided by smith&nephew. Click here to download. 

• Bushfire Response: Emergency Consultations
In response to the bushfires 70 psychiatrists in Victoria have offered to set aside time to perform one emergency consultation this week. That number is growing by the hour. Individuals at risk include those with a pre-existing mental illness, other vulnerable individuals, children and health care and emergency workers. GPs can be allocated a psychiatrist willing to undertake an emergency consultation by telephoning the RANZCP Vic Branch office on Tel. 9601 4924.

•  Bushfires: Support for practices
RWAV continues to co-ordinate locum relief for practices whose GPs need a break from the ongoing pressure of work in the aftermath of the Victorian bushfires. RWAV holds a register of all GPs (about 300) who have offered their services as locum relief and allocates them to practices when requested. All GPs wishing to offer their services should contact RWAV by email to Tony Mackinnon tonym@rwav.com.au or Tel. 9349 7800.
RWAV is now checking each volunteer locum’s willingness to be kept on the register for the next six months and is checking their availability times.
Any practice that needs a locum relief should contact Tony Mackinnon at RWAV.
All divisions in the fire-affected areas have reported that the greatest need in the coming weeks and months will be for mental health counselling. Both DoHA and DHS are taking steps to ensure that these needs will be met effectively.
For details of the response to the bushfires see the daily Situation Reports from DHS, CFA and DSE that are emailed to divisions by Bill Newton. GPs wishing to volunteer their services should visit the Rural Workforce Agency, Victoria ( www.rwav.com.au ) website for further details.

•  One-off measure: Helping older Victorians who need care after the Victorian bushfires
The Commonwealth Government last week removed the need for aged care assessments for older Victorians affected by the Victorian bushfires so that they can access short-term or temporary nursing home or community care as quickly as possible. Aged care assessments teams assess the care needs of older Australians to help determine their eligibility for Government-funded services such as community aged care and aged care homes.
The Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot informed aged care homes in Victoria early last week of the immediate changes, encouraging them to accept emergency residents where possible. The emergency funding will be made available to all Victorian aged care homes that provide respite for people with temporary care needs.
Emergency funding has been made available under the National Respite for Carers Program so that Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres can purchase or broker respite for people with temporary care needs. Contact the Victorian Department of Health and Ageing on (03) 9665 8601 or 1800-059-059 for details.

• Bushfires and notifying cases of infectious diseases
Various public health risks can arise as a result of the recent Victorian bushfires. Infectious disease risks may include foodborne illness, waterborne illness, respiratory or gastrointestinal illness The Department of Human Services is reliant on medical practitioners and laboratories for information on the incidence of infectious diseases. Notification is vital in efforts to prevent or control the spread of infection. For the fact sheet on Victorian bushfire response - Notifying cases of infectious diseases click here.

• VICTORIAN BUSHFIRE RESPONSE - Provision of Tetanus Immunisation
Burns and other Wounds:
A full medical assessment is needed to determine if burns and wounds are tetanus prone. All penetrating injuries, however trivial, should be considered to be tetanus prone, as well as more serious injuries with tissue damage such as burns. If it is determined that tetanus vaccine is required it is usually accessed via the Doctors Bag Emergency Supply. If there are problems with supply through the doctors bag the vaccine may be ordered through the Immunisation Section of DHS.
Tetanus Immunoglobulin (TIG):
Tetanus immunoglobulin (TIG) is available from the Red Cross (Ph 9694 0364) for a tetanus prone wound if a course of tetanus vaccine has not previously been given.
National Immunisation Program:
The current National Immunisation Program (NIP) recommends a tetanus containing vaccine at 50 years of age (provided a previous dose has not been given in the past 10 years). Immunisation Providers in fire affected areas are encouraged to take this opportunity to ensure that this dose is administered in accordance with the recommendations in the Australian Immunisation Handbook (9th edition).
There is no indication for any other provision of tetanus immunisation. Routine 10 yearly booster doses are no longer recommended.
All vaccine orders should be directed to the Immunisation Section of DHS on:
Telephone: 1300 882 008
Facsimile: 1300 768 088

• Donation of goods to City of Whittlesea
If you know any people who are interested in making donations of goods you can contact the City of Whittlesea, Marketing and Economic Development Unit on Tel. 9217 2198. At this point they are recording all offers of assistance and will follow up as soon as is possible.

• Emergency Locum Relief for bushfire affected areas
Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) is organising, through the relevant divisions, locum relief for practices affected by the fires.  Any GP able to provide locum relief to some of the bushfire affected areas should contact either Tony Mackinnon on mailto:tonym@rwav.com.au or Claire Austin mailto:clairea@rwav.com.au. Both will pick up emails at any time on their blackberry. Please help support practices affected by the bush fires.

• Checking on friends and family in the area
People should ring 1800 727 077 if they are unable to contact someone in the affected areas.
For people overseas enquiring about family and friends in the bushfire affected areas, please call +61 3 9328 3716.
(This information has been supplied courtesy of the Red Cross www.redcross.org.au).

• Diabetes supplies in fire affected areas
Patients with diabetes in fire affected areas who need urgent replacement of blood glucose meters and strips are advised to contact Diabetes Australia - Vic on 1300 136 588 for rapid replacement. Diabetes Australia -Vic will also provide rapid replacement of NDSS cards to ensure access to subsidised blood testing strips, syringes, needles and access to pump supplies.

• Victorian Bushfire Emergency Bereavement Information and Support
The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement (ACGB) have established a dedicated web page which provides information on grief and bereavement organisations who can provide assistance; a number of resources for both the general public and practitioners and finally details of a number of websites which provide a range of support materials. This page will be regularly updated as new information and resources become available. This can be accessed at: www.grief.org.au/bushfire_support.html.

The staff at NDGP would like to express our condolences to those individuals and families affected by the bushfires, and to the friends and families whom might also have been involved in this tragedy. Best wishes in these coming days, weeks and months.

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