Are you an adult living in Mount Alexander Shire?
Keen to get connected with local activities and programs, but don’t know how to start?
Perhaps it’s time to Get Connected!
Get Connected is a Social Prescribing project being piloted in Mount Alexander Shire in 2023.
The program has been designed together with representatives from Castlemaine Community House, Mount Alexander Shire Council, Dhelkaya Health, Women’s Health Loddon Mallee and the Goldfields Medical Group. For further general information about social prescribing, click here.
Get Connected has been designed to specifically work with:
- people who live in Mount Alexander Shire
- people who may be feeling they’d like to be more socially connected
So, how does it work?
- Your GP (at Goldfields Medical Group) provides you with a referral to Get Connected, which is sent to the Community Connector.
- Following the referral, the Community Connector will get in contact with you, or you can contact them directly to arrange a time to meet up.
- You then meet in person, or chat over the phone, with your Community Connector and have a talk about your interests and needs.
- Your Community Connector comes back to you with some options for you to explore and discusses how they can support you to access the group or activity.
- Your Community Connector follows up after you have participated in your choice of activities to chat about how it went.
- If all is going well your Community Connector finalises communication with you, however you can contact them at any time if you require further community connection.
The image below is a visual representation of the Get Connected Mount Alexander model.
Meet our Get Connected Volunteers!
Isis Jordan – Community Connector
Isis has lived in the Mt Alexander Shire for several years and has family connections here. She has particular interest in the human experience and how cultures evolve, and has developed this through her study of anthropology.
Isis is warm and friendly and brings enthusiasm to her volunteer role as a Community Connector. She meets people where they are and has a real interest in human connection as a way to reduce isolation and loneliness in our town and shire.
Get Connected Mount Alexander – Social Prescribing Pilot was launched on 15th March 2023. The following video includes highlights from the launch
FAQs
Q. How can I refer people to Get Connected?
A. We have many different ways for people to be referred to Get Connected:
Goldfields Medical Group
General Practitioners
64 Lyttleton St, Castlemaine VIC 3450
(03) 5472 3233 / www.goldfieldsmedicalgroup.com.au
Community Wellbeing Unit at Mount Alexander Shire Council
Community Wellbeing Team
Philippa Calwell – (03) 5471 1735 or 0456 901 622 – p.calwell@mountalexander.vic.gov.au
Castlemaine Library
212 Barker St, Castlemaine VIC 3450
(03) 5472 1458 – Stuart Winser – stuartw@ncgrl.vic.gov.au
Dhelkaya Health Counsellors
142 Cornish Street, Castlemaine, 3450
Lisa Cavallaro – (03) 5479 1000 / LCavallaro@castlemainehealth.org.au
Sky Simpson – (03) 5479 1000 / SSimpson@castlemainehealth.org.au
We also work with the Castlemaine Adult
Mental Health Team, and the Dhelkaya
Health Family Services Team.
Q. Is there a cost to be part of Get Connected?
A. No, there is no fee to be a participant with Get Connected, but some of the activities that people we have to connect people with may have a fee.
Q. I’m a service/activity provider, how can I include my activity/program to what your Community Connectors can connect people to?
A. Send an email to getconnected@cch.org.au with all your activity details and we’ll follow up with you.
Q. Am I eligible to participate in this program?
A. As this is a pilot, we are limited in how many people we can support, therefore can only accept referrals of people who live in Mount Alexander Shire and come in via the GPs at Goldfields Medical group.
Q. I’m a local GP / Allied Health Practitioner, how can I participate in this program?
A. Please contact us via getconnected@cch.org.au to register your interest and we will follow up with you.
Q. How can I discover and connect with activities in Mount Alexander shire?
A. There are many things happening in our shire! Best sources of activity information are: the Mail and Express newspapers; community noticeboards at IGA and Stoneman’s Bookroom window; e-newsletters from council, Castlemaine Community House, Maldon Neighbourhood Centre and U3A.
For further information, please contact getconnected@cch.org.au or call 03 5472 4842.
Get Connected Mount Alexander, is a Social Prescribing pilot, brought to you by Castlemaine Community House, Mount Alexander Shire Council and Dhelkaya Health.
