The Story of CHIRP: Recent Episodes
fochirp
A series based on the experience of local group the Friends of CHIRP, which is made up of health professionals, service users and volunteers with the local, independent, community health service Castlemaine and District Community Health, affectionately known as CHIRP.
I speak with Lexi, Chair of the CHIRP board and her compatriot, Peggy, Chair of Castlemaine Health. The conversation covers the integration, the possibilities and the imminent need for the local community to respond.
Community health in Castlemaine will change hands over the next six months in line with State government policy and departmental recommendations. We speak again with Lyn McKenzie about the potential benefits of a 'service integration', how that might look and what it might mean. As Castlemaine Health and CHIRP look at ways to deliver an integrated service, the Friends discuss how the new entity might function and flourish.
I speak with Julia Murray and Graeme Lipback about their involvement with CHIRP. Julia is a Tai Chi instructor and Graeme mentors young people experiencing difficulty in some aspects of life. We also meet Kade, Graeme's former mentee through CHIRP, who is interviewing for a job later the same day.
These interviews were recorded before the announcement of a 'service integration' between CDCH (CHIRP) and Castlemaine Health.
Hans and Anne discuss the value of strength training classes and the likely outcomes of a merger with Castlemaine Health. Hans is a former hospital board member among other things, and Anne has retired from a career in in early childhood education.
This episode was recorded before the announcement of a 'service integration' between CHIRP and Castlemaine Health, the body corporate accountable for running the local hospital.
This final episode of series one tells us where CHIRP sits in the local landscape. Series two will be out by the end of August 2020.
I talk with Margaret Griffin, CHIRP patron and now convenor of the Friends of CHIRP; Hans Paas, CHIRP volunteer and Michael McMahon (who I spoke with in interview before the public meeting to assess CHIRP's community response to a funding shortfall, for Able Radio MAINfm) of the Castlemaine Housing Service, about CHIRP's services, its financial situation and the benefits of preventative care.
Why choose an independent, community health service over medical care more formally administered through a hospital system? Lyn McKenzie, a retired GP and dedicated supporter of the biopsychosocial model of health service, explains some of the history and the practicalities of delivering community health services.
The first episode of a series about Castlemaine District Community Health (CHIRP) and community health in Victoria. The episode describes the state of play for CHIRP and other community health services in the State and looks at the Government's Community Health Reform Plan.