Women’s health services given boost to help flood recovery

Jan 23, 2023

**Long road:** It can be an arduous journey recovering from a flooding incident and women typically carry much of the load. Photo by Megan Fisher

The Victorian Government has announced it will grant $1.2m to four health services to help women recover from recent flood events.

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Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins said on Saturday, January 21 the money would be split evenly across the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health, GenWest, Women’s Health Loddon Mallee and Women’s Health Goulburn North East, saying each of the organisations had played a critical role in supporting women through disasters.

Ms Hutchins said evidence showed women took on more of the emotional and psychological burden during and after disaster and were more likely to prioritise the care of others at the expense of their own physical health, social and mental wellbeing.

“Recovery takes time, which is why we’re continuing to support women that have been affected by the widespread flooding across Victoria through this funding boost,” Ms Hutchins said.

“The tailored mental health and social support programs will be crucial to ensure women get the help they need to recover.”

The funding is to help the women’s health services to provide tailored and targeted support programs to assist women most at risk from the floods.

Research will also be conducted on the needs of migrant and refugee women affected by disasters and translated into a best-practice guide for service providers.

Evidence-based resources to support disaster response and recovery in areas with migrant and refugee communities will be developed, along with training workshops for bilingual health educators and health promotion workers on providing mental health support after a disaster.

By McPherson Media Group