Sexual and Reproductive Health Professionals Consultation Workshop

As part of the Storylines project,Women’s Health Loddon Mallee (WHLM) and Women’s Health Goulburn North East (WHGNE) invite health professionals in our regions to share their expertise through the upcoming Sexual and Reproductive Health Professionals Consultation Workshop.

What is the Storylines Project?

The Storylines collaboration began as a means to collect qualitative data about the experiences of women around sexual and reproductive healthcare in regional Victoria.

Women from communities in our regions submitted their stories online to provide a valuable lived experience perspective.

We collected stories about a broad range of topics, from Endometriosis, PCOS, libido, menopause, pregnancy care, menstruation, abortion and contraception. We heard about the unique challenges of seeking sexual and reproductive healthcare in small communities.

Now the teams at WHGNE and WHLM have expanded and extended the project, with a focus on identifying the barriers to access and areas for improvement in sexual and reproductive healthcare in regional and rural Victoria.

In order to grow the original model, this iteration of Storylines has kicked off with the formation of a COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP, which has engaged on issues of sexual and reproductive healthcare and identified areas for improvement and possible solutions.

The next phase of the Storylines project is to bring this rich lived-experience data to a diverse group of health professionals and contribute a layer of sector-specific experience, which will further inform the project.

Through the collection of stories from our communities WHLM and WHGNE can better understand women’s experiences and more effectively advocate for sexual and reproductive health services and information for our communities that is rights-based and provided to women in a way that is non-judgmental, easily understood, culturally sensitive, free from discrimination, affordable, geographically accessible, and sex positive.

The data we collect will also provide WHGNE and WHLM with the information we need to effectively develop and deliver targeted resources and education to build community knowledge about women’s sexual and reproductive rights, and grow women’s confidence to navigate the health system, describe symptoms and self-advocate when accessing services.

How will my contribution as a health professional inform the project?

The feedback and expertise we gather from the session will contribute to the design and delivery of the Storylines SRH Project and the future advocacy work our organisations will be undertaking to make positive changes to SRH in our regions.

Coupled with information gathered from our Community Advisory Group and a future phase of gathering stories, the health professionals consultation will add an invaluable perspective to the improvement of information provision and access to SRH in our rural and regional communities.

This session will be facilitated by health promotion professionals that will aim to ensure that all participants have equal opportunity to contribute and be part of the conversation.

What are the regions we represent?

Loddon Mallee

Goulburn North East

Time & Date:
The Health Professionals Consultation Workshop will be held:

9:30am-12:30pm Wednesday, 12^th July.

Reimbursement:

If not attending the workshop in a professional capacity, participants will be reimbursed $59.71 per hour of involvement.

Register Now:

We recommend registering ASAP as places are limited to 20 participants, with the aim of equal representation across our two regions.

Register to attend the Health Professional Consultation Group workshop HERE.

Please note: If you do register and can no longer attend, please let us know ASAP so that we may be able to allocate space for others on the waitlist to attend.

*The Storylines project refers to ‘women’ to include cisgender women, transgender people, and gender diverse people who are pregnancy capable. This phrase includes people who are impacted by the harmful gender norms and stereotypes associated with sexual and reproductive health, and those who may access and use sexual and reproductive health services including, but not limited to, abortion, contraception, assisted reproductive technology, and screening for sexually transmissible infections/blood-borne viruses (STIs/BBVs).