TEAM: Bendigo council’s Helen Lees, La Trobe University’s Zerin Knight, Bendigo Health’s Diana Antoniazzi and Hannah Parker from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The four organisations are joining forces for the Talking Matters Bendigo project. Picture: JIM ALDERSEY
A NEW partnership between four local organisations is set to give residents in the Bendigo region improved access to early speech pathology information.
Bendigo Health Speech Pathology, the La Trobe Rural Health Schools Speech Pathology department, the City of Greater Bendigo’s Maternal and Child Health nurses and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development have teamed up for the Talking Matters Bendigo project.
The project aims to give residents in the region better access to speech pathology information and to help connect families to kindergarten and maternal and child health services in the region.
A speech pathology drop-in clinic has been formed and will be situated at different schools each month for three hours.
Bendigo Health deputy chief speech pathologist Diana Antoniazzi said the service would be available for children from birth to primary school entry.
“A speech pathology drop-in clinic is a place where families can come to discuss their child’s speech and language concerns without having a referral or an arranged appointment,” Ms Antoniazzi said.
City of Greater Bendigo acting family and wellbeing co-ordinator Helen Lees said the project was about providing parents with the chance to talk to a speech pathologist about any concerns they might have.
La Trobe University’s Zerin Knight said the drop-in clinic would also be a chance for fourth-year medical students to gain firsthand experience with the guidance of Bendigo Health speech pathologists.
The next clinic will be held at Kangaroo Flat Primary School on March 27 from 9am to midday.
