Farmer health the focus of course
The National Centre for Farmer Health, through Deakin University, is offering a five-day unit aimed at making a difference to the health, wellbeing and safety of farmers, farming families and agricultural workers.
The agricultural health and medicine unit targets health, education, agricultural professionals and policy makers whose practice and/or policy decisions relate to farming communities and agricultural workforces.
Its goal is to improve the social, physical and mental health of agricultural and rural communities in Victoria and ensure initiatives aimed at this population are effective.
Agricultural workforces in Australia and abroad experience high work-related mortality and tolerate high rates of physical and mental ill-health, which are compounded by limited access and lower levels of health literacy.
This results in above average rates of premature morbidity and mortality through heart disease, cancer and suicide.
The agricultural health and medicine unit will be taught over five days at Western District Health Service in Hamilton between February 22 and 26.
The course is also a core unit of the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine (GCAHM).
• For more information visit https://farmerhealth.org.au/page/education/what-is-gcahm or visit Deakin, School of Medicine athttp://www.deakin.edu.au/medicine/study-options/graduate-certificate-of-agricultural-health-and-medicine.
To view the article: http://health.vic.gov.au/healthvictoria/nov15/farmers.htm