For the first time, Women's Health Grampians has captured the stories of over 100 women's experiences of sexual and reproductive healthcare in the region.
The Tell Your Story report provides clear direction to improve women's health outcomes through accessible, affordable and inclusive services.
The Grampians region has the lowest rate of providers of medical abortion and long-acting contraception in Victoria. In many of the local government areas, the number of patients seeking care is far greater than the number of local services provided.
Women's Health Grampians investigated the impact this shortfall is having on women. Tell Your Story invited women and gender diverse people to share experiences of accessing contraception and abortion care.
Compiling over 100 stories, this report reflects powerful insights into service availability, affordability, confidentiality, distance and travel. Women have described in their own words what they would most like to see change, what it means when they receive good local care, how important it is to overcome the barriers of stigma and shame, and to normalise sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Storytelling is a powerful medium for conveying ideas, passing on knowledge, building trust and inspiring change.
As a result of Tell Your Story, collaborative partnership action is already underway focussed on health planning, workforce training and investment in new services. These partnerships are building regional capacity to ensure women can access timely, affordable and local sexual and reproductive health services when and where they need them.
The Municipal Health and Wellbeing Planning phase currently underway is an important opportunity to share this latest evidence with health and wellbeing partners across the 11 local government areas.
Tell Your Story is the strongest case we can put forward to raise the profile of sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Read the Tell Your Story Report found here.