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Around 1.25 million people in NSW are aged between 12 and 24. That's 20 per cent of the population.
The majority of young people enjoy good health. However, in NSW the health of young people has not improved when compared to other sections of our community. Young people often engage in risky behaviours such as binge drinking, dangerous driving, and smoking—all of which can cause disability or death. Young people are often not informed about health issues or where to go to seek help if they are ill.
Source: NSW Health
At Shire Wide Youth Services we have General Practice doctors available each week for consultations. The GPs will be at the centre between 6pm and 8pm – no Medicare card is required. Please contact us on 9525 7919 if you wish to make an appointment or just drop in.
Visit Kiora Park Youth Centre or Menai Youth Centre staff there are able to access a tonne of info, as well as arrange for referrals to other services if that’s what you want. When you talk to a staff member it is confidential. Parents are welcome to speak to staff too, we’ve got a lot of information about the issues that confront young people in the 21st century that may just be what you’re looking for to help you look at things from a different angle.
You can also see your GP or register with another GP if you don’t want to go to your family practice where you and your family are well known, and you may know other patients. You are eligible for your own Medicare card when you are 15 years old. You need to complete a Medicare copy/transfer form for your info to be changed to your own card and that’s available from Medicare. (Go to Medicare webpage) You need to have some identification with you to be able to do that. For more information about this and about confidentiality around medical matters go to the Reach Out webpage.
Coming in and speaking to someone face to face can be confronting, especially if you’re feeling a bit embarrassed by the subject you want to talk about, and the good news is that there is a lot of good, accurate and youth friendly info available on the net.
The following are some useful links to websites where you can get more information about health, and information about making healthier choices and getting access to impartial and accurate information too. For example, one subject that is grabbing a particular number of headlines right now is Ice - Crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride. An organisation called the Australian Drug Foundation has a great website where you can find out the cold hard facts about Ice.
Useful Links
www.medicareaustralia.com
www.beyondblue.org.au
www.oxygen.org.au
www.reachout.com.au
www.somazone.com.au
www.noah.org.au/youth.cfm ( for a list of youth health services in NSW)
www.sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au/Cannabis_Clinic
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