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About Us

We aim to always respect a woman's circumstances and consider she is the expert on her own life story. We try to respond to her needs and wants in a confidential, safe, professional and approachable way.

-- Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre, July 2010 

 

Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre is a non-government, not for profit, community based organisation which provides an extensive range of medical and complementary health services to over 10,000 women a year.

Employing 20 staff, the Centre prioritises care and services to women experiencing disadvantage and difficulty in accessing services elsewhere - whether they be on low income, older, homeless, single parents, lesbian, bisexual, survivors of domestic violence and childhood sexual assault, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, with eating issues or chronic health conditions. It also operates the only service in Australia specifically for women partners of gay and bisexual men. 

 

The Centre is open every week day! Daily hours are: Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays 9.30am-5.30pm, Wednesdays 2-5.30pm and Thursdays 9.30-7.30pm.

The centre is funded by NSW Health via Sydney South West Area Health Service and, because a large proportion of women using the Centre are experiencing difficulty because of their financial situation, the Centre has Public Benevolent Status with the Australian Taxation Office (providing tax deductibility for donations of $2 and above).

 

• the Board of Management (including six women from the community, the manager and a staff representative)
• the manager
• the business administrator
• two team leaders, and
• two teams of staff including naturopaths, acupuncturists, doctors, a women’s health nurse, health educators and counsellors

 

The Board establishes directions and outcomes for the organization, is responsible for ensuring its ongoing financial and legal stability, and delegates the development of procedures and the running of the organisation to the Manager. 

  

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 OUR VISION

 

'Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre is actively committed to the rights of all women to access quality health care and to the realization of better health outcomes for women.

'The centre does this by providing traditional and complementary health services which are of a preventative and curative nature, designed and delivered in an integrated way to improve the quality of life of women.'

 

We strive to ensure that all women, regardless of the extent of disadvantage they may currently be experiencing and the complexity of their health issues, are able and entitled to access the centre's affordable, quality health care - thereby opening doors to well being.  Annually around 80% of our clients are on yearly incomes of less than $20,000 and experiencing financial and health problems which mean they value the services, wholistic health care environment and opportunities available from Leichhardt Women's....

  

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OUR VALUES & BELIEFS...

We believe:

 

• All women deserve to be treated with dignity and respect
• Women’s racial, cultural and lifestyle diversity deserve to be respected in accordance with women’s basic human rights
• In women’s ability to define their own health needs
• In women’s rights to make informed choices about their health management
• In women’s ability to participate in and take responsibility for their own well being
• In a client-centred approach to service delivery, which is non-labelling and non-pathologising and respects women’s stories
• In women’s right to have their privacy respected when seeking service from the centre
• Health and well being is enhanced by trusting professional relationships and the provision of a safe and friendly environment
• Women’s health status is improved through advocating for social change at State and Federal levels
• Information, consultation, advocacy and community development are important elements of the health process
• Health promotion, disease prevention and strengthening the primary health care system are as important as providing high quality illness treatment services

 

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THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF OUR BELIEFS...

 

The underlying philosophy of Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre is feminist. The basic principles of feminism informing our approach are:

 

• A gender analysis of the mainstream health system
• A social definition of health
• An wholistic approach to health care
• Empowerment

 

1. A gender analysis of the mainstream health system
   A feminist analysis of women’s health attributes the high degree of physical and mental illness experienced by women to oppression perpetrated by patriarchal gender relationships. (Broom 1991:127) The mainstream health system reinforces a predominantly male view of women’s bodies and often does not offer management of long term health problems, choice of treatment or adequate information about preventative strategies around specific women’s health issues involving sexual, reproductive and psychosocial issues. The main purpose of women’s health centers is to provide specific health services in a manner which enables women to take back control of their own bodies and lives.

    

2. A social definition of health
   The concept of 'social health' broadens the definition of health to include not only the physical but emotional, social and psychological aspects of well being. This concept attributes people’s physical and emotional well being to social structures/constructs as well as to each individual. It takes health out of the private sphere into the public arena where domestic violence and sexual abuse are no longer private family matters but social and legal issues.

    

3. An wholistic approach to health care
   At all levels of contact the client is treated wholistically. This means that it is not only the physical symptoms that are treated but there is examination and management of the emotional and social issues that affect women’s health as well as their relationship to significant others such as children and partners. Often a woman will be referred to other services both within and outside the Centre so that all contributing factors to health are addressed.

    

4. Empowerment
   Empowerment of women is a major focus in all aspects of services delivery. Providing the circumstances in which women can make informed choices encourages and promotes strength and resilience. Empowerment is achieved through implementing health promotion strategies such as awareness raising and information provision, listening to women and providing them with treatment options.

 

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PRINCIPLES FOR THE ORGANISATION'S SERVICE DELIVERY

 

1. Access and equity
   
   LWCHC will ensure the accessibility and appropriateness of its services to women and will aid women’s access to other services. It is therefore necessary to recognise and address the needs and specific issues of women of diverse backgrounds and the barriers faced in accessing services. This means that:

    

   • the proportion of women from particular communities, backgrounds or lifestyles using the centre will be reflective of the broader community
   • specific strategies will be developed to address barriers preventing equitable access to these groups of women
   • the centre will specifically address barriers to women on low incomes, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, older women, Aboriginal women, lesbians and women who have sex with women, women with disabilities and other groups of women that may experience disadvantage.
   • some of the strategies may include low or no cost services, outreach clinics and health promotion, restricted access to some services and the employment of bilingual staff.

      

2. Organisational capacity building
   
   Capacity building describes a range of strategies which in combination enhance an organisation’s capacity to meet its intended outcomes. In the case of Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre, this is the organization’s capacity to increase women’s access to high quality services and improve women’s health outcomes as stated in the vision statement.
   The comprehensive approach to integrating workforce development, organisational development and resource allocation ensures capacity building is effective and sustainable.
   
   Key components of our organisational capacity building include:
   
   • planning and evaluation processes
   • use of best practice policy and procedures
   • innovative service delivery
   • staff members' professional supervision, training and annual performance appraisal
   • effective leadership using feminist principles
   • commitment to meeting community standards, ethical codes and accountability requirements

      

3. Community capacity building
   
   This principle refers to the building of 'social capital' which Eva Cox (1977) defines as 'the factor which allows collective action in the public sphere for the common good. It is social cohesion and comprises attention, engagement and trust of both familiar people and institutions of governance' or by Williams (1995) as the ' level of ability and motivation to share responsibility for collective well being'. 
   
   Key components of our community capacity building efforts include:
   
   • developing and maintaining collaborative partnerships with other organisations
   • building networks between people and organisations
   • consultation and participation in decision making

In summary, the services provided by Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre:

 

• recognise the social, environmental, economic, physical, emotional and cultural factors which influence women’s health
• recognise the challenges and effects of sex role stereotyping and gender discrimination on women’s health and well being
• reflect the whole of women’s lifespan, their various and challenging roles and responsibilities, not just their reproductive life
• actively encourage the empowerment of women in both the personal and social aspects of their lives
• values women’s own knowledge and skills and their right to make informed decisions about their health
• promote the participation of women in debate and decision making about health issues, their own health care, service policy, planning, delivery and evaluation
• recognise women’s rights, as health care consumers, to be treated with dignity, in an environment which provides privacy, informed consent, confidentiality and safety
• provide appropriate health care to women in local communities within a state wide, coordinated approach in partnership with other health agencies
• ensure equality and accessibility of services without financial, cultural, geographic and other barriers
• ensures effective community management and operation of the centre by women
• ensures that services are accountable and meet independent community standards