In this powerful episode, we are joined by Dipti Zachariah from Western Sydney Local Health District’s Multicultural Health Services and Nat, a member of her team. Dipti and Nat provide extensive support to help culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women and survivors of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) find their voice. With International W…

With the COVID-19 lockdown extended through August, many causes of stress and anxiety in our lives right now are beyond our control. But there is a tool within your control that anyone can harness: mindfulness meditation. David Johnson introduced the practice to Western Sydney Local Health District staff last year to help manage the additional stre…

Mitch first experienced anxiety and depression as a high school student, and in the years that followed he struggled with suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder. He is now a lived experience peer worker with the Towards Zero Suicides team at Western Sydney Local Health District, meaning he uses his own experience to help others experi…

We're mad about sport in western Sydney but it still might come as a surprise that there are some extremely talented athletes who work for Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD). Alvina Ng always loved the Ninja Warrior franchise but never imagined she would take on the famed obstacle course known as Mt Midoriyama. The Auburn Hospital emergen…

Emma Watkins is best known as the girl with the bow in hair. The singing, dancing, drumming, Yellow Wiggle delights audiences across the globe with her dazzling warmth and energy. But what people didn’t realise was behind the scenes, Emma was in serious pain for a long time – silently suffering from a debilitating condition known as endometriosis. …

Julia can remember looking down at her broken arm, the bone through the skin, as the propeller of the helicopter that carried her to Westmead Hospital for lifesaving surgery whirred to life. She was riding her motorcycle on Valentine’s Day when she had a head-on collision with a four-wheel-drive, destroying her bike and nearly claiming her life. Ju…

From training with the Cronulla Sharks to lying in a hospital bed, Fine Kula’s heroic battle with brain cancer captured hearts across western Sydney, the Shire, and Australia last year. The rising NRL star was diagnosed with medulloblastoma at the start of 2020, and underwent treatment at Westmead Hospital. Fine and his oncologist Dr Vivek Bhadri j…

One in four young people in Australia will suffer from some kind of mental health issue. But how do you bring up the topic with them? It’s a question many parents agonise over, and one that we tackle in our latest podcast episode of Western Sydney Health Check for NSW Youth Week. Carlie Dodds, clinical psychologist with our Prevention Early Interve…

Western Sydney is home to Australia’s tallest health building – the Central Acute Services Building at Westmead Hospital – and we’re celebrating its official opening in this week’s Western Sydney Health Check podcast. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard visited on Monday 22 March to open Westmead Hospital’s new 14-storey…

Associate Professor Nirmala Pathmanathan - the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute Executive Director - delves into spotting the signs and treating breast cancer and Carol Boulous shares her story of survival. How to check for breast cancer: National Breast Cancer Foundation Breast Cancer Network Australia Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation McGrath Found…

It was a typically busy day in Westmead Hospital’s emergency department when administration officer Elizabeth Rasmussen suddenly felt severely unwell. “It was like an atomic bomb was going to go off in my head, there was just nothing like it,” she said. A quick check from a colleague revealed her blood pressure was through the roof, prompting an ur…

Despite having two heart procedures in one week, Gloria Ring is counting her blessings. We took our microphone to the bedside of the 76-year-old Northmead resident for a special podcast episode to capture the reality of a hospital stay — complete with a few interruptions from a cleaner hard at work in the bathroom! Gloria talks about what brought h…

Mention Australia to people overseas and one of the first things that comes up is our array of deadly snakes and giant spiders. But how worried should we actually be? Clinical and forensic toxicologist Professor Naren Gunja joins us on this episode to shed some light on the creepy crawlies found across Sydney. Naren talks about the death adders, br…

Carol Wilson never has to buy her husband Ian another Christmas gift. The doting wife gave her partner of more than 40 years the incredible gift of a kidney — just in time for Christmas for Ian, a local shopping centre Santa. Carol and Ian join us on this episode to discuss how they made the decision and the "phenomenal" care they received from Wes…

December 12 marked 20 years since the first nurse practitioners (NPs) were endorsed in Australia. There are now over 2,000 around the country, including more than 30 in Western Sydney Local Health District — but what exactly is an NP? Joining us to answer this question is transplant nurse practitioner Kathy Kable and sexual health nurse practitione…

A landmark report in 2005 revealed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have shorter life expectancies and are more like to die in childhood, along with other gaps compared to non-Aboriginal Australians. How have we progressed in the 15 years since toward closing the gap? In this episode we speak to WSLHD Aboriginal Health Strategy dir…

Eight Australians die by suicide every day. More than twice as many Australians die by suicide each year than in car crashes. For every person who dies by suicide an additional 30 will try to take their life. This is the confronting reality that inspires the Towards Zero Suicides (TZS) project, a NSW Premier’s priority initiative to reduce the rate…

When seven-year-old Deyaan Udani learned about organ donation at school, he was excited to share the news with his father Rupesh. None of them could have imagined that just months later a sudden tragedy would claim the young boy's life — and leave his parents with the heartbreaking choice to honour their son's wish and give four others a second cha…

Do mozzies like sweeter blood? Do they transmit COVID-19? Is it only female mosquitoes that bite? These are the kinds of questions ‘Mosquito Man’ Dr Cameron Webb gets regularly, and breaks down for us on the latest episode of Western Sydney Health Check. As the weather begins to warm, Dr Webb warns that mosquito numbers will rise and provides some …

Dementia affects close to half a million Australians. Yet despite the stigma, it is possible to enjoy a rich and active lifestyle for years after diagnosis. In this episode we speak to Geetika Dayal, whose mother has early onset dementia, and WSLHD dementia advisor Sue Tolhurst. Geetika speaks about the reality of her mother's condition and how it …

We welcome our first return guest this episode in Dr Shopna Bag, director of the Public Health Unit in Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD). Dr Bag and her team have led the incredible contact tracing efforts in Western Sydney, interviewing every one of our 500+ COVID-19 patients to find out how they caught disease and who they might have p…

It covers 23 different, highly specialised roles - but what exactly is 'allied health'? WSLHD Allied Health director Jacqueline Dominish joins us to explain her portfolio and outline the three-year strategic vision that was recently launched. Jacquie speaks honestly about the difficulties facing our culturally rich and diverse community – including…

Westmead Hospital security officer Fred Nachar thinks he should have a new job title: "customer service officer". The beloved member of the security team clocks tens of thousands of steps each shift as he makes his away around the vast campus, helping patients and checking in on staff while also being prepared to respond to any urgent matter at a m…

Blacktown Hospital’s Dr Maria Nittis speaks candidly about domestic violence (DV) and the support available in this episode of Western Sydney Health Check. Maria is the department head of the forensic medical unit, a service that documents the injuries of victims and helps them access legal and social support. She reveals that DV is rising within W…

From helping patients learning to walk again to helping them talk, Westmead Hospital physiotherapist Hariette Esterman says working on the frontline of COVID-19 is no easy task. Hariette works in Westmead Hospital’s ICU as an acute physiotherapist and found her passion for helping the most vulnerable patients after her new graduate placement. As an…

Jessica Lam and Ikneet Kalsy are both 22, both pharmacy interns, and both members of the Western Sydney Local Health District Youth Council, providing invaluable input into our services from a young person’s perspective. In episode ten they discuss some of the effects the pandemic has had on young Australians including social isolation, loss of wor…

Dr Kavita Varshney from Westmead Hospital’s emergency department drops in for a chat with her five-year old niece Zara. Zara is the star of an important COVID-19 video message where she cleverly imitated her aunty’s video message for a NSW Health campaign. Dr Varshney talks about how the Westmead Emergency team tackled the COVID -19 pandemic and ho…

As a community nurse, she’s passionate about caring for the vulnerable, particularly Western Sydney’s young people and those experiencing homelessness. In episode eight we speak to Nina about a new clinic providing free flu shots and COVID-19 screening to disadvantaged and at-risk people, the inspiration behind her team’s work, and the response the…

Registered nurse Ashleigh Peters chats about her experience working in the COVID-19 ward at Westmead Hospital. We hear about her rise through the nursing world and the GradStart program. Yervette Jones, WSLHD Workforce nurse manager, gives an overview of the 2021 GradStart program and the benefits of joining the incredible team at Western Sydney. F…

In episode six we speak to intensive care specialist Dr Tom Solano, critical care coordinator for Western Sydney Local Health District. Dr Solano shares what he and other intensive care staff have seen so far, what they’ve learned from cases overseas, and how they’re feeling about treating patients critically ill with COVID-19. He also shares what …

In episode five we speak to Professor Bill Brakoulias, executive director of mental health services for Western Sydney Local Health District. Prof Brakoulias provides insight into how COVID-19 is causing stress and anxiety, leading to some extreme behaviours including fights over toilet paper and anger at health workers, as well as more common symp…

In episode four we speak to gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Andrew Pesce, who has delivered thousands of babies at Westmead Hospital over many decades. Dr Pesce provides advice and reassurance for pregnant women on how to keep themselves and their babies safe from COVID-19, and what to expect when they come to hospital to give birth.…

In episode three we speak to one of our health heroes, junior medical officer Dr Brandon Verdonk, who's been working around the clock to help the community of Western Sydney deal with COVID-19. At the coal face of the pandemic, Dr Verdonk takes us behind-the-scenes to give us exclusive insight into his daily dealings with COVID-19 in this week's We…

In episode two we ask the big questions about COVID-19, including what it is, how it’s spreading and what happens if you test positive. Our guests are Professor Tania Sorrell, Director of Infectious Disease Services, Westmead, and Director of the Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney; and Dr Shopna Bag…

Welcome to our new podcast Western Sydney Health Check, the only place to hear from leading experts on healthcare-related issues from five hospitals and a range of health services in Western Sydney. In episode one we are joined by our chief executive Graeme Loy as he discusses COVID-19 and what our district is doing to prepare for the pandemic. Pro…