FPQ eNews May 2012 - Family Planning Queensland

eNews May 201 2Issue 8FPQ turns 40The first FPQ clinic opened in FortitudeValley on 28 March 1 972. Since thattime, FPQ has provided community andprofessional education and training to1 .2 million and health services to 1 .5million Queenslanders.That is something to celebrate!The first of a series of 40th birthdaycelebrations took place on Friday 23March. With 67 people in attendance, itwas a festive opportunity to both reflecton the origins of FPQ with several of itsfounding members and articulate ourvision for the future.Speeches were delivered by foundingmembers Dr Alan Blunt and MarjorieMillburn, along with the Lord MayorGraham Quirk. Marjorie was the firstTownsville’sYOUTHFEST launchedNational Youth WeekTownsville City Council partnered withFPQ to launch National Youth Week atYOUTHFEST in April. YOUTHFESTpromoted positive choices and an activeand healthy lifestyle amongst youngHappy birthday cake. Olivia Brady from TownsvilleCouncil with FPQ's Georgina BellCEO of FPQ and at the helm of theorganisation for 30 years. We recognisethe extraordinary contributions of FPQ’sfounding members and staff, andcurrent supporters and staff on this 40thbirthday. 40th birthday photos © Eva TurekBelow: Marjorie Millburn, Odette Tewfik and JuneMorrisRight: John Campbell, Glenda McChesney-Clarkand Helen Draperpeople while at the same timecelebrating FPQ’s 40th birthday.In Townsville, more than one third ofFPQ’s clinic clients are under the age of25. Young people often encounter thebiggest barriers to accessing sexualhealth information. FPQ is committed toensuring young people have access toinformation and services to take care oftheir sexual and reproductive health.FPQ distributed free sexual healthcheck cards to young people inattendance at YOUTHFEST and looksforward to meeting new clients inTownsville.FPQ is a key provider of information,training and education to ensure youngpeople and the people who know thembest -- from parents to carers, youthworkers to teachers -- have theknowledge and confidence to talksensibly about sexuality andrelationships and make healthy choices,in Townsville and around the state. FPQprovides confidential health services toyoung people, men and women aroundcontraception, sexual health checks andhealthy relationships.Dr Alan Blunt speaks about establishingFamily Planning QueenslandNew resource forwork with Aboriginaland Torres StraitIslandercommunitiesThe Sexual and ReproductiveHealth Education kit produced byFPQ is currently being distributedby Queensland Health. Thisresource assists health workers,particularly Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander Health Workersacross Queensland, to engageAboriginal and Torres StraitIslander communities to educateyoung people in the areas ofreproductive anatomy, puberty,healthy sexuality and personalhygiene. The kit will be added toQueensland Health’s largeTablecloth resource kit. They arebeing provided directly toQueensland Health Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander SexualHealth Workers, and to SexualHealth Workers at CommunityControlled Health Services.40th birthday membership campaign – become a member, recruit a new memberDon’t know what to get FPQ for its 40th birthday? How about signing on a new member to FPQ or joining yourself ifyou haven’t already? Membership application forms are available on http://www.fpq.com.au/member.phpThanks in advance for your support.

From thedesk ofthe CEOIt’s an exciting time of year, givenrecent news of FPQ’s new andrenewed certifications and the flurry ofevents commemorating 40 years ofFPQ around the state.FPQ has been notified by SAI Globalthat we have received our Quality inHealth ISO 9001 plus Core Standardscertification. This certification helpsreinforce FPQ’s commitment tocontinuous quality improvementacross all programs and services. InMarch, FPQ was also advised ourRTO registration has been reneweduntil 201 7, once again passing theaudit with no areas of noncompliance.The auditorcomplimented FPQ’s thoroughattention to detail and exceptionalrecords.It was a privilege to celebrate theopening of FPQ’s first clinic inFortitude Valley 40 years agoalongside founding and longtimemembers and key stakeholders thisMarch. A few days later, we held anopen house at our new Ipswichpremises. FPQ was presented withthe Ipswich City coat of arms from theMayor’s office in recognition of theimportant role FPQ plays in theIpswich community. April marked thecelebration of FPQ’s 40th inTownsville at YOUTHFEST and moreregional celebrations are still to comelater this year.Meet the FPQ Board:Associate Professor Jayne Lucke, BA (Hons) PhDJayne Lucke is Principal Research Fellow at the UQ Centre for ClinicalResearch at The University of Queensland. She was appointed to the FPQBoard in February 2008 and is currently Chair of the Strategic PlanningCommittee. Her association with FPQ goes back twenty years starting in theearly 1 990s when she recruited women attending FPQ’s Alfred Street and MtGravatt clinics for her PhD research.Jayne’s background is in social and health psychology and she has worked atThe University of Queensland since 2004. In the 1 990s she spent five yearsat the National Centre for HIV Social Research where she was involved in thefirst national survey of Australian secondary students’ HIV risk and sexualbehaviour.Currently Jayne is a member of the Steering Committee of the AustralianLongitudinal Study on Women’s Health and an Associate Investigator with theCentre for Research Excellence in Women's Health in the 21 st Century. Herresearch interests in sexual and reproductive health include contraceptiveuse, patterns of fertility and sexual health. She has recently examinedpatterns of contraceptive use among Australian women over time, and afterreproductive events. She is currently Chief Investigator of a Linkage projectfunded by the Australian Research Council investigating patterns ofcontraception use, access to sexual and reproductive health services andunplanned pregnancy using a longitudinal internet survey of 1 8-23 year oldwomen in NSW. This project involves Family Planning NSW and BayerAustralia as well as investigators from the University of Queensland,University of Newcastle and University of Sydney. Jayne hopes the findingswill lead to well-informed, evidence-based recommendations for policy andpractice innovations to increase access to contraception, particularly in ruralareas.When asked why she joined FPQ’s Board, Jayne replied: “I was excited to beasked to join the Board of Directors of FPQ because I knew how passionatethe organisation is about promoting sexual health for all. It is an excellentopportunity for me to be involved in the promotion of sexual and reproductivehealth in a practical way. Through my involvement with the Board I also gainmore understanding about how to make research more relevant. Researcherswrite papers for academic journals suggesting ways that their findings mightinform policy and practice, but that is only helpful if the suggestions are takenup by policy makers and practitioners in the real world. A single researchstudy only provides a very small amount of useful information butorganisations like FPQ can make a huge difference to people’s lives byapplying a wide range of research findings through their evidence-basedpractice.”Upcoming FPQ courses for health professionalsCervical screening update workshop.These workshops provide theory, practical clinical skills review, clinical skills tutorial, model/pseudo clientdemonstrations and clinical attachment. All workshops attract RACGP QI & CPD points.Rockhampton 1 6 Junehttp://www.fpq.com.au/pdf/Fly_CervicalScreeningSkills_June.pdfBrisbane 20 Julyhttp://www.fpq.com.au/pdf/Fly_GPCervicalScreeningSkillsJuly.pdfContraception overviewBrisbane 1 0 AugustAll methods of contraception will be covered in a full day theory workshop where the emphasis will be on practicalaspects and case based discussions.http://www.fpq.com.au/pdf/Fly_ContraOverview_registration.pdfCONNECTIONS workshopBrisbane 11 AugustBrisbane 1 5 SeptemberThis full day workshop aims to increase clinicians’ confidence in communicating with and assessing young people.CONNECTIONS uses filmed scenarios of consultations and includes interactive exercises to explore topics such asdiscussing confidentiality, assessing Gillick competence, medicolegal and child protection issues.http://www.fpq.com.au/pdf/Fly_ConnectionsWorkshop.pdf

Collaboration makes webconferences available through theLearning PlaceThe Learning Place is the Department of Education andTraining's secure eLearning environment which provides allEducation Queensland (EQ) staff with access to aninnovative range of digital resources and eSpaces forteaching and learning, collaborating and networking. FPQ’sGeorgina Livingstone and Judy Graham are working closelywith the Learning Place to develop a series of one hour webconferences for teachers in an effort to more flexiblysupport their training and information needs.Three sessions have been delivered so far:• Sexuality and relationships education: Plan your program• Sexuality and relationships education and studentprotection• Sexuality and relationships education: Practical strategiesThis collaboration enables any EQ staff member, anywherein the state, to join FPQ in a web conference. All they needis a computer (and data projector if they’re with a group)and they can join in from wherever they are: in theirclassroom, in the staff room with a group of colleagues or athome. The Learning Place provides opportunities forteachers to access professional development activities at alldifferent times of day as well: before school, lunch times,straight after school or in the evening. FPQ is committed toworking in partnership with the Learning Place to providedynamic support and information to teachers in new formatsto better meet their needs.Online learning opens up new ways of interacting which cancomplement our current suite of resources and activities,which is exciting for FPQ and the people we serve.Puberty andGirl talkTalking about what to expect when it comes to a girl’s firstperiod and all the changes girls experience during pubertycan be hard for both mum and dad. To help bridge thisgap, FPQ has a new program specifically designed tobring together girls with their mothers or female carers totalk about the changes girls can expect in puberty,including periods: Girl talk. The Girl talk programs are runin locations throughout Brisbane. These programs run for2 hours, usually in the evening and are recommended forgirls aged 9-1 3 years with their mothers or female carers.Girl talk encourages positive and fun interactions betweengirls and their mums or female carers. Girl talk creates anempowering space for both girls and their mothers orfemale carers to share information about puberty, periodsand the exciting milestone of becoming a woman.Providing this positive and factual information aboutbodies and growing up plays an integral role in raisingconfident and well informed young women. For moreinformation call FPQ on 3250 0240 or emailgirltalk@fpq.com.auNo matter where you live, FPQ provides support andinformation to help prepare you to talk through thechanges your child can expect during puberty. FPQ hasfree to download factsheets and brochures that can help.Visit www.fpq.com.au/publications.php for a complete listof FPQ’s material that can help ensure your daughter andson have the best possible start to puberty and beyond.Whole School CommunityApproach to Sexuality Education(WSCASE) projectThe Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, the John Villiers Trustand the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal haveprovided funding for the 3 year Whole School CommunityApproach to Sexuality Education (WSCASE) project. Thefunding will enable FPQ to provide support for 2rural/regional and socio-economically disadvantagedprimary schools and their communities in Rosedale, northof Bundaberg and Mount Morgan, south-west ofRockhampton. The project will build the capacity of theschools to promote healthy sexual development anddeliver comprehensive sexuality education, throughtransferring knowledge and skills to teachers, parents andcarers. Central Queensland University have offered tosupport the evaluation of the project and further fundingwill be sought for this.Ipswich Open HouseThe first Ipswich centre was formally opened in August1 975. Ipswich has had four different homes over thesenearly 40 years. On 27 March, stakeholders gathered tocelebrate the centre’s new home at Ipswich’s OpenHouse. Councillor Antoniolli, others from the Mayor’soffice and Ipswich City Council, along with the Director ofO&G from Ipswich Hospital, Professor KassamMohammed and many key players from local serviceswere in attendance. The Ipswich team is pleased tocontinue to build partnerships with local services and thecommunity.Councillor Antoniolli presents a plaque to Maryanne HambrechtFPQ Ipswich team

International Men’sHealth Week:don’t just talk footy,talk about your tackleThis year, InternationalMen's Health Week(IMHW) takes place fromJune 11 -1 7. AndrologyAustralia is the country’speak authority on malereproductive health, andthey’ve devised this year’scampaign theme: Talkabout your tackle for IMHW201 2.The IMHW campaign urgesmen to seek help when itcomes to the bits below thebelt and not just hope theirsymptoms will go away.FPQ is very supportive of this approach. There is no reasonto suffer in silence because men may be too embarrassedto talk to their doctor about sensitive issues.FPQ encourages young men to attend any of our clinics fora Chlamydia test. The test is a simple urine test with resultsavailable within a week. All sexually active men and womenunder 30 years of age should have a Chlamydia test atleast once a year. While you’re at FPQ, be sure to pick upsome free condoms. Free condoms are now available at allsix FPQ clinics around the state.Another aspect of men’s sexual and reproductive health ofinterest may be contraception. If you or a man you know isinterested in a permanent form of contraception, FPQ’sBrisbane clinic provides low cost outpatient vasectomies.Clients attend an assessment appointment prior to theprocedure itself. Ring 3250 0200 or visitwww.fpq.com.au/publications/fsBrochures/Fs_Sterilisation.php for more information.Andrology Australia produces brochures and posters tohelp community organisations and health services promoteInternational Men’s Health Week in 201 2, and normalisethe discussion of male reproductive health. They alsoproduce factsheets and booklets on a range of specificissues, for free. Visit www.andrologyaustralia.org or call1 300 303 for any of these resources.FPQ wins Grill’d Fortitude Valley’s LocalMatters program this MarchFPQ would like to thank Grill’d Fortitude Valley and theircustomers for selecting FPQ as the grand prize winnerof the March Local Matters program. Grill’d FortitudeValley displayed information about FPQ’s servicesthroughout the month of March. Being selected toparticipate was a great opportunity to raise awarenessabout what we do at FPQ and Grill’d’s generous $300donation will support health and education services tothose most in need.Contraception:an Australian clinicalpractice handbookThird editionProduced and published by FamilyPlanning New South Wales(FPNSW), Family PlanningQueensland (FPQ) and FamilyPlanning Victoria (FPV).The third edition of this renownedhandbook, co-authored by medicalexperts from FPNSW, FPQ and FPV, provides the latestinternational research and expert opinion on methods ofcontraception available in Australia.The handbook aims to support and promote optimalclinical practice by providing GPs, nurses and other healthcare practitioners with evidence based consensusrecommendations on all aspects of contraceptive practicein the Australian setting.Key features:• an up to date review of the advantages anddisadvantages of contraceptive methods available inAustralia• updated practical advice including stopping each methodat menopause, using Quick Start methods ofcontraception and extended hormonal regimens• the latest information on contraceptive eligibility forwomen with a broad range of pre-existing medicalconditions• contraceptive options for teenagers, post-partum andperimenopausal women• current practice recommendations for missed pills, druginteractions and moreOrder your copy of the third edition – available June 201 2for $60 (GST inclusive) plus freight. Visitwww.fpq.com.au/pdf/Fly-ContraHandbookOrder.pdf orcontact info@fpq.com.au for more information.Pass it onThanks for reading the Family Planning Queensland enewsletter.If you like what you read, please pass it on.We welcome your feedback or suggestions for future editions.Please contact Janelle Weissman,Director of Communications & Development,at communications@fpq.com.auor on 3250 0222 with your comments.Become a member of FPQMembers receive a free subscription to the FPQ eNews and are invited to special FPQ events.Don’t delay. Become a member today.www.fpq.com.au/pdf/MembershipApplicationForm.pdf