cohealth and VU partner for healthier and more equitable communities

Victoria University (VU) and cohealth, a non-for-profit community health organisation, have formalised a partnership to create opportunities for students and improve the health and wellbeing of communities in Melbourne’s west.

As suburbs in the west continue to expand, VU and cohealth have a fundamental understanding about the need to foster a qualified, empathetic health workforce to meet the needs of ever-expanding communities.

Both organisations have a history of supporting, contributing and finding new ways to enhance the physical and mental health of people living in the west.

With 32 locations in Victoria including Footscray, Braybrook and Laverton, cohealth model provides a new approach to healthcare by addressing both health and social inequity and treating those who seek care with respect.

Along with providing a range of community health-focused services, cohealth also develops health promotion initiatives.

“Our core values of equity and inclusivity will drive this new alliance and create significant value for the communities we serve. Under this partnership, we’ve developed a strategy to create multiple pathways for VU students to gain valuable workplace experience with cohealth and grow the pipeline of skilled workers in Melbourne’s west,” Deputy Vice-Chancellor External Relations and Partnerships, Wade Noonan said.

cohealth Chief Executive Nicole Bartholomeusz echoed the sentiment.

“By combining cohealth’s expertise in community health with VU’s excellence in education and research, this partnership will deliver collaborative learning experiences, impactful research and advocacy, and meaningful career pathways that will empower people to contribute to healthier, more equitable communities in Melbourne’s west, and beyond.”

The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding focused on cohealth and VU’s plans to develop a range of initiatives:

Student Engagement, including placements, internships, or volunteering opportunities across many fields, including Psychology, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Midwifery, Youth Work, Speech Pathology, Social Work, Dietetics, Business, Law, IT, Disability and Community Services.

Workforce Development, create graduate and employment pathways for VU students, as well as professional development and teaching opportunities for cohealth staff.

Research and Academic work to be undertaken by cohealth staff in collaboration with VU Researchers, focusing on areas including public health, policy, and healthcare sustainability.

About Victoria University

Victoria University (VU) is a dual sector (higher education and TAFE) tertiary institution based in Melbourne, Australia. VU has academic colleges, each covering a broad discipline of study, and several research institutes and research centres. The University has campuses in Melbourne’s CBD and western region, Sydney and Brisbane. It also offers courses at partner institutions throughout Asia. Almost 46,000 students, including around 17,000 international students, study VU courses worldwide. Ethical partnering is at the core of what Victoria University does.

About cohealth

cohealth is a not-for-profit community health organisation that provides low-cost and free local health and support services including medical, dental, allied health, mental health, aged care and counselling, and many specialist health services across Melbourne’s CBD, northern and western suburbs, statewide in Victoria and across the east coast of Tasmania.