Seated front left to right: Jenille Mina / Sharon Albrecht / Wai (Zoe) Cheng
The Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Youth Health team has placed six new Wellness and Health Nurses (WHIN) coordinators in Western Sydney secondary schools.
As part of a commitment to improving the overall health of students in New South Wales (NSW), the program places a wellness nurse in identified secondary schools to provide ‘reachable’ services to students and their families.
The six WHINs have entered the following Western Sydney high schools: Greystanes High, Granville South Performing Arts, Chifley College Shalvey, Doonside Technology High, Arthur Phillip High and Cumberland High.
The WHINS also support elementary school students entering these high schools.
A WHIN, who works at Granville School, Janet has over 100 youth and family members currently in her care and said “being a WHIN is fun and I love that no day at work is the same”.
Janet has been a nurse with WSLHD for over 20 years and “was drawn to WHIN’s role in helping to empower young people.”
Granville South Public School Principal Karen Macphail applauded WSLHD’s youth health initiative, saying, “I just wanted to say thank you. I don’t know where you got Janet from, but she is truly an absolute angel. She is making a phenomenal difference in the lives of some of our families.”
Wellness nurses develop relationships with community services in their areas and liaise with their school’s wellness teachers and learning support teams to provide comprehensive care and support to students and their families.
WHINs provide students with health education on a wide range of relevant topics, including mental health, sexual health, and drug abuse.
The team is currently working to offer educational sessions on the dangers of vaping.
When WHINs were asked how students in their schools will benefit from the program, the overwhelming response was better access to health services and better health literacy.
WHINs bring a wealth of experience and decades of experience in working with youth.
Jenille was a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Educator at Sydney Children’s Hospital and also worked in the Child and Adolescent Acute Inpatient Mental Health Unit.
At Arthur Phillip High, he is actively involved in bridging the gap between education and health.
Sharon is based at Doonside Technology High School and knows WSLHD incredibly well, having provided nursing to members of the community for over 30 years.
She loves the WHIN team she works with and said she is “excited to be working with a team of highly motivated nurses who love to share resources and knowledge.”
Graeme Pringle, Youth Health Coordinator for WSLHD, is excited about the program as it allows students and their families at WSLHD to access a wellness nurse for their health needs.
The Wellness Nurses program is another way we provide young people with access to appropriate health services to ensure they can participate in their education.”
graeme pringle
The WHIN coordinator program began as a pilot in 2018 and is a partnership between NSW Health and the NSW Department of Education.
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