IPC Health

30/05/2026

Are you a long daycare cook? Looking for FREE support to boost your skills? Join the Cooks Network! 🍳

We run a free professional development and networking group designed for chefs, cooks, managers, and childcare staff in Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, and Wyndham Vale.

Why join?
✔ Learn creative ways to add variety and adapt menus for allergies and fussy eaters
✔ Share ideas with peers and nutrition experts
✔ Build your menu planning confidence
✔ Boost your nutrition knowledge
✔ Create more sustainable, nutritious, delicious menus

Join our term 2 meeting:
❔Topic: How to use FoodChecker tool – with guest speakers from Healthy Eating Advisory Service and IPC Health’s V**e Free Environment program
📍When and where: 16 June, 3pm-3.45pm, online via Microsoft Teams.

Register by 15 June:
📞Call 0490 759 270 or
📩 email [email protected]

29/05/2026

🍳We’ve cooked up something special in Brimbank! ⭐

Brimby's Café has joined the Catering for Good Directory, supported by IPC Health. Looking for catering? Healthy, delicious, local. Brimby’s Café has you covered:
✅ Vegetarian, vegan, halal & gluten free options
✅ Fresh, nutritious meals
✅ Proudly based in Brimbank

💬 “...we love sharing good, yummy and delicious catering. Also, our coffee is one of the best in the west!” Albert - Brimby's Cafe Owner and Chef ☕

🌐Learn more about Brimby's Cafe and the Healthy Eating Advisory Service at heas.health.vic.gov.au/caterer/brimbys-cafe

🍽️Are you a local café or caterer? Join the directory:
We’ll support you to rethink your menu, helping you to make it healthier, more inclusive, more sustainable - and we can connect you with local organisations!

Be part of healthier communities.

28/05/2026

📢 Young Minds: Our Future ( ) is now live across Australia.

This important national survey, funded by the Australian Government, is gathering insights into the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 4–17.

The findings will help build a clearer picture of how young Australians are doing - looking at mental health challenges as well as strengths and protective factors that support wellbeing. This is the first time this kind of national data has been collected at this level.

If your household is invited to take part, please consider saying yes. Your voice can help shape better support for young people across Australia.

👉 Learn more: www.ymof.org.au
📧 [email protected]

Watch this video to find out more: https://youtu.be/07QH-K-7TKI

26/05/2026

Today 26 May is National Sorry Day, a national day of remembrance and healing dedicated to the Stolen Generations. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families, communities, and cultures.

National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and explore how each of us can contribute to reconciliation.

These dates mark important milestones. These include the 1967 Referendum and the Mabo decision, which helped shape Australia’s journey towards recognising the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This year’s theme, 'All In' is a powerful reminder that reconciliation needs all of us, every day.

Reconciliation is about building strong relationships, acknowledging the past, and creating opportunities for growth.

At IPC Health, we’re wholeheartedly committed to reconciliation. We aim to bridge the gap by improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through safe and meaningful access to health and wellbeing services.

Our Elders Lounge at our Wyndham Vale campus is a culturally safe drop in space for community and health services to connect.

https://www.ipchealth.com.au/services/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health/

Reconciliation won’t happen by itself, it means all of us must be 'All In'.

25/05/2026

This month we were able to hand out Smiles 4 Miles Awards to three services for improving the oral health of Brimbank and Wyndham kids!

Congratulations to Story House Early Learning- Keilor Downs and Wallaby Childcare Harpley and Wallaby Childcare Sanctuary Lakes for receiving their first Smiles 4 Miles awards.

Smiles 4 Miles is an oral health promotion program for preschool-aged children developed by Oral Health Victoria to help get kids looking after their oral health by promoting: Eat well, Drink well and Clean well.

The program is delivered locally by IPC Health and aligns perfectly with our focus on education, prevention and early intervention.

In the City of Brimbank and the City of Wyndham, too many children still experience tooth decay. By working together through Smiles 4 Miles, we are setting children and families up for lifelong oral health and wellbeing.

In Melbourne’s West, 51 other centres are already enrolled in the program, supporting around 6,200 children. We look forward to partnering with 8 additional kindergartens joining Smiles 4 Miles with IPC Health in 2026.



📷: Staff from Wallaby Childcare Harpley and Wallaby Childcare Sanctuary Lakes receiving their Smiles 4 Miles awards from IPC Health’s General Manager People, Governance and Community

18/05/2026

Reducing pain, improving access 💜

Today, Premier Jacinta Allen and Minister Harriet Shing MP visited IPC Health’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Hub in Deer Park to launch the statewide rollout of the Green Whistle, now available as a free pain management option for IUD insertion and removal. They were accompanied by Natalie Suleyman MP, Member for St Albans.

For many women and people with a cervix, a common question when considering care is: “Will it hurt?”
This initiative helps answer that - offering more comfort, more choice, and more control over healthcare decisions.

At IPC Health, our Women’s Health Nurses have supported over 1,000 clients in the past year alone, providing safe, compassionate, and holistic care across our communities.

As our CEO Jayne Nelson shared, reducing pain and anxiety is about more than just the procedure, it’s about helping people feel safe, supported and in control.

👉 Need sexual or reproductive health support?
You can book an appointment with IPC Health’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Hub today.

📞 Contact us to find out more:
Call IPC Health on 1300 472 432 or visit: ipchealth.com.au/services/sexual-reproductive-health

Because when healthcare feels accessible and supportive, communities can stay Well for Life. 💛

16/05/2026

IPC Health stands with our LGBTQIA+ staff and community members.

IDAHOBIT, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia is a reminder of the importance of inclusion, respect, and visibility for LGBTQIA+ people.

When we show our support, we help create a community where everyone feels welcome, safe, and seen! For LGBTQIA+ people to be well at work and well for life.

Research from Minus18 shows that 86% of LGBTQIA+ young people feel safer and more supported when they see visible signs of allyship, such as rainbow badges, lanyards, or stickers.

Small acts of visibility can make a big difference.

12/05/2026

Nurses play a critical role in ensuring our clients can be Well for Life, and we're proud to celebrate them on International Nurses Day.

Nurses possess a vast skill set that enables them to deliver integrated, holistic care - at both front-line and management level.

As Angel, Living Well Nurse, notes, "As a nurse, it’s very important to have strong communication skills that allow us to engage, build trust, ask sensitive questions and listen actively beyond words, so we can recognise important cues that may indicate mental, social, or deeper underlying concerns.

Recognising these concerns early allows us to connect them with support services, offer community or support groups, and empower them to communicate their needs more confidently. People are more likely to feel understood and reassured that someone genuinely cares about their overall well-being and not only their medical condition. This often improves their self-esteem, emotional and mental wellbeing, helping them cope better and increasing their willingness to engage in healthier lifestyle changes."

Nurses, we appreciate you!

12/05/2026

Awesome to support Truganina United Cricket Club on their VKEW journey. Well done! 💯👏

Are you part of a local sporting club or school and want to make healthy eating easy, fun, and sustainable changes? Visit our website 👉 www.ipchealth.com.au/services/vic-kids-eat-well

Truganina United Cricket Club has partnered with the Vic Kids Eat Well movement, powered by IPC Health, to switch to healthier drink options.

We’re boosting healthier drink choices and keeping water as our top player and MVP! 💧🏆

Can you help us promote water over sugary drinks to support healthier communities?

27/04/2026

Congratulations to Gumboots Early Learning Werribee! 🎉 Today, they received their very first Smiles 4 Miles award.

Smiles 4 Miles is a free initiative from Oral Health Victoria, to help get kids looking after their oral health by promoting Eating Well, Drinking Well and Cleaning Well.

The program is delivered locally by IPC Health and aligns perfectly with our focus on education, prevention and early intervention.

In the City of Wyndham, too many children still experience tooth decay. By working together through Smiles 4 Miles, we are setting children and families up for lifelong oral health and wellbeing. Well done to Gumboots Early Learning Werribee!

In Melbourne’s West, 51 other centres are already enrolled in the program, supporting around 6,200 children. We look forward to partnering with 8 additional kindergartens joining Smiles 4 Miles with IPC Health in 2026.



📷: Jax, Sofija and Edie joined Emma (Gumboots General Manager) and Naima (Gumboots Centre Director) receiving the award from Jason (IPC Health’s General Manager Operations and Clinical Care)