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Sea Lake’s Carinya Centre will become a community hub for activities, learning, interaction and new programs in plans outlined to the community by Mallee Track Health and Community Service.

MTHCS Interim CEO Tracey Wilson spoke at a community meeting this week and updated the community on plans for the Carinya facility, after an initial Listening Post on the future use of Carinya, held earlier this year.

The plans for Carinya centre around a trial of the relocation of Sea Lake Neighborhood House to the site.

“It’s an exciting first step in progressing the community’s ideas and input on how we best maintain Carinya as a valuable community space in Sea Lake,” said MTHCS Interim CEO Tracey Wilson.

“The Neighbourhood House Program is currently operating from a property on Best Street. The property needs significant refurbishment to retain its value. The Neighborhood House team is keen to ‘pilot’ running their programs from Carinya for at least 12 months,” she said.

“That clears the way to implement a range of the ideas and strategies the community suggested at our Listening Post in May.”

At the May meeting, community members suggested future community use options for Carinya including use by community groups, a health information and training space, and potentially addressing accommodation needs.

The plan now being developed will allow better space, flexibility and facilities for the wide range of programs run by Neighborhood House as well as allowing other identified opportunities to progress. These include the potential to implement a meals program, and the use of garden areas by the youth gardening program, with the raised garden beds to be relocated from current Neighborhood House, community training programs in the reinstatement of exercise groups in the large communal spaces and exercise groups.

The Carinya site will also provide a better, non-clinical location for Sea Lake’s Rural Outreach Worker program and allow community training programs to be provided in the larger areas as needed.

“The community was also very keen to see more engagement between children, young people and our MTHCS Aged Care residents. We think the transition of the Neighbourhood house to the Carinya site should bring young people to this part of town to provide more opportunities for interaction,” Ms Wilson said.

Ms Wilson said she was also pleased to update on the community’s aspirations for more dynamic and engaging health and wellbeing services, facilities and programs.

“The community members we heard from were very keen for programs like men’s health and first aid education to be available, as well as care closer to home, better community access to defibrillators and Mental Health training and services,” she said.

“We’re acting on these, with the defibrillator installed and training already completed as well as pushing ahead with exploring programs that can be delivered from Carinya, like well being programs, first aid and men’s health.

“We’ve also joined the Northern Mallee Integrated Partnership (NMIP), which has commissioned a Clinical Service Plan project to identify what care needs people are leaving the area to access.

“In response to the data so far, we’ve already started planning for a range of services that we can deliver safely and appropriately within the local area either independently or in partnership including using virtual care.

“We’ve valued the community’s input earlier this year, and we’re looking forward to continuing to work in partnership to enhance the services available in the Sea Lake community,” Ms Wilson said.