16.2 C
Canberra
Friday, March 29, 2024

Festival attracts 200,000+

It’s one of the nation’s largest celebrations of cultural diversity and the 2019 iteration of the National Multicultural Festival on 15-17 February did not disappoint.

Festival Director Azra Khan said attendees provided glowing feedback.

“They really enjoyed the variety of entertainment, felt comfortable to move around on the footprint and people were friendly and happy.”

Early estimates indicate over 200,000 people attended the 23rd National Multicultural Festival in Canberra’s city centre.

ACT Policing said they were generally pleased with conduct; four attendees on the Saturday afternoon/evening were given exclusion directions due to their level of intoxication, while one intoxicated male was arrested on Sunday for possessing a knife in a public place. In an unrelated incident at the festival, three people were transported to Canberra Hospital and received treatment for minor injury before being released.


GRACE service to expand

The ACT Government is rolling out a new service to help people in aged care manage their medical conditions where they live, rather than requiring a visit to hospital.

The Geriatric Rapid Acute Care Evaluation (GRACE) service provides care to unwell Canberrans in residential aged care facilities to better manage their conditions in their residence, preventing a trip to the hospital.

Capital Health Network introduced the PHN GRACE program in 2016 through a trial with Calvary Public Hospital at five residential aged care facilities in Canberra’s north. The service will now be expanded across the ACT thanks to funding in the mid-year Budget Review.

Capital Health Network Chief Executive, Adjunct Prof Gaylene Coulton, said she was pleased to see the program expanded across the ACT.

“This is a great outcome, with the trial highlighting a 24% reduction in ED presentations and a 25% reduction in admissions from residential aged care facilities. These results demonstrate the positive impact this program can have as it is expanded across Canberra,” she said.

More than 500 older persons from residential aged care facilities received care as part of the GRACE trial program between October 2017 and the end of January 2019.

The $9.6 million in funding included in the Budget Review will see additional clinical staff employed to expand the GRACE program.

The rollout Territory-wide will be phased, with an extension of the current services operating on the northside and the introduction of southside services from April this year, and services increasing on the southside from March 2020.


New native wildlife clinic

A new facility purpose-built to rehabilitate Canberra’s native wildlife has opened its doors in the Jerrabomberra Wetlands precinct.

The new clinic and attached office will assist ACT Wildlife to care for and heal sick and injured wildlife before reintroducing them into the wild.

The ACT Government provided $83,642 to upgrade and fitout the new office building and clinic as well as committing an additional $10,000 per annum to help run operations.

If you find an injured or sick native animal please handle it with care, wrap it in a warm towel or blanket and contact ACT Wildlife on 0432 300 033. For injured kangaroos, call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

For more:

More Stories

ACT Government’s weekly roundup

Record-breaking tourist numbers; Canberra Health Services's research; a dragon boat facility; a playgroup for detainees' children; and more.
 
 

 

Latest

canberra daily

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANBERRA DAILY NEWSLETTER

Join our mailing lists to receieve the latest news straight into your inbox.

You have Successfully Subscribed!