Out and about in Canterbury
Health day at Ara in August 2015
Five nutrition students from the Ara Institute of Canterbury were placed with our Appetite for Life team for the Māori and Pasifika health day at the Ara campus. The session, which focused on healthy eating, was funded in partnership with Christchurch PHO. A survey on healthy eating was also undertaken at this event.
Some of the nutrition students participating in the Māori and Pasifika health day at Ara.
Young Parents Expo in September 2015
Community Liaison Access Manager Melissa McCreanor and Partnership Community Worker (PCW) Deb Tooby provided information on PCWs and other Pegasus Health services at an event for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. It was a rewarding day, with many referrals to the PCWs, primarily focused on enrolling young mothers with a medical practice.
The day was spent connecting with young parents, giving out resources, ensuring people were enrolled and sharing valuable information such as free GP visits for under 13s.
Resources available at Pegasus Health’s stall at the Young Parents Expo.
PCW Toi Smith, left, works alongside a colleague from ACTIS at the Expo.
Children’s Day in March 2016
This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of the Pegasus Health services that support children and to share health information simply and creatively.
Pegasus Health shared a stall with the Community Dental Service and had an interactive activity for the children – “Healthy You, Healthy Whānau”. The children wrote and drew pictures about what keeps them well and what they felt was important for their health.
The event was held at Spencer Park and attracted about 11,000 people of all ages.
The day offered Pegasus Health an opportunity to connect with families in a positive atmosphere. The aims were to provide:
- an increased awareness of Pegasus Health and the services we provide, including free GP visits for children 13 and younger.
- enrolment support
- increased awareness about B4 School Checks, immunisations, HPV and Partnership Community Workers.
- resources and information on general health and wellbeing, including smoking cessation, healthy eating and exercise
- answers to health service-related questions
Children and young people were invited to write on the canvas about what keeps them well and healthy at Children’s Day.
Appetite for Life course in April 2016
After attending the Māori and Pasifika health day at Ara, the Appetite for Life (AFL) team was approached by an Ara teacher who worked with with adolescents with intellectual disabilities. She asked the team to deliver AFL to her students who were completing the Certificate in Work Skills.
The class had 24 students aged 18 to 23, most of whom were living at home. The expectation was that some would transition towards independence, while others would learn to eat better at home. The AFL team’s input was to guide them to make better nutritional choices, introducing them to new and healthier food options, and broadening their palates.
The students will receive ongoing support from tutors, who will do AFL revision and practical application of their learning in their home settings.
The AFL team said that delivering the course was highly rewarding – “an opportunity to inspire young people to value their health and even if they just learnt to change one thing in their diet and to do more exercise, it was worth it!”
The team is now in the planning stages for a course for the Van Asch Deaf Education Centre in Sumner.