A Successful Regional Forum with LiverWELL & Ovens Murray PHU

During the week of World Hepatitis Day, LiverWELL and the Ovens Murray Public Health Unit (OMPHU) hosted a regional forum at The Cube in Wodonga. It was our biggest in the region with more than 40 attendees!

The event was opened by Elizabeth Birbilis from the Department of Health and featured speakers from Harm Reduction Victoria, the Multicultural Health Support Service, LiverWELL, and lived experience speaker Tayla Wakley from Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service. A clinician “lunch and learn” with Mieken Grant from St Vincent’s and Sally Watkinson from Royal Melbourne helped deepen understanding of viral hepatitis care.

The afternoon featured presentations from Albury Wodonga Community Health, Dr Natasha McLellan, and Gateway Health which highlighted local progress and challenges. A collaborative workshop then set priorities for the next five years including normalising testing and treatment, strengthening collaboration, and expanding peer roles. The forum sparked strong interest in creating a region-wide community of practice. We thank the OMPHU team, particularly Dr Elizabeth Peach, Hirukshi Bennett, Terri Gallacher, Simon Jones, and the communications team. Special thanks also to Dr Anthony Zheng who stepped in as MC and delivered summaries for presenters who could not attend. We look forward to keeping the momentum going with our rtegional forums – let us know if you’re intrested in working with us.