Goulburn Valley Health initiatives up for healthcare awards

By Anna McGuinness

Aug 25, 2022

Finalist: Jabba the Bus, GV Health's mobile COVID-19 vaccination service, has been recognised in the Safer Care Victoria Partnering in Healthcare category. Photo by Megan Fisher

Vaccination buses Jabba the Bus and Maxine Vaccine make up one of three Goulburn Valley Health initiatives named as finalists in this year’s Victorian Public Healthcare Awards.

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Jabba the Bus was rolled out in September 2021, helping take COVID-19 jabs to communities, and the mobile service is still in use nearly a year later.

The other initiatives recognised were GV Health’s community kitchen project in the Excellence in Public Sector Aged Care category, and possum skin cloaks in oncology in the Improving Aboriginal Health category.

GV Health chief executive Matt Sharp said the health service was proud of its initiatives being nominated as finalists.

“The last couple of years have been very challenging for our health service, so to receive this state-wide recognition at this time demonstrates how resilient and innovative our staff are,” he said.

GV Health was also a finalist as a co-contributor with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre for the initiative iCanEAT: Implementation of the CanEAT pathway for people with cancer, carers and heath professionals.

The annual awards celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of Victorian healthcare workers and public health services over the past year.

It is the first time the awards have been held since the COVID-19 pandemic started, after being paused in 2020 and 2021.

The winners will be announced in October.