Many women wait years for help with incontinence. They don’t have to.
Bladder or bowel leakage affects millions of Australians, yet many women put off seeking help because they assume it’s a normal part of ageing or having children. But health professionals say support is available and early treatment can make a significant difference. More than 7.2 million Australians were living with incontinence in 2023, with that […]
Young Women’s Program returns to Illawarra schools with Zonta Club support
The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre will return its Young Women’s Program to local schools after a $5,000 donation from Zonta Club of Shellharbour and Kiama helped revive the initiative following the loss of funding last year. The funding will allow the Centre to deliver workshops on healthy relationships, sexual health and contraception to Year 9 […]
What the PCOS name change means for women in the Illawarra
For decades, many women with PCOS have been treated as though they have a fertility condition. Researchers now say that narrow understanding is one of the reasons women have missed out on earlier diagnosis and support for the condition’s wider impacts, including diabetes, heart disease and mental health. Now, one of the world’s most common […]
New initiative connects women to housing and hope
For the first time, women supported by the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre are gaining direct access to transitional housing through a partnership with the Wollongong Homeless Hub and Housing Services (WHHHS). Funded through Bendigo Bank Community Bank Oak Flats, the initiative combines the housing expertise of the WHHHS with the Centre’s specialist casework and support […]
Brokerage program delivers practical support for Illawarra women in crisis
Women at risk of homelessness across the Illawarra are receiving practical, life-changing support thanks to a $200,000 grant from Bendigo Bank’s Community Bank Oak Flats and Gerringong, enabling the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre to deliver a targeted homelessness prevention program. The funding has allowed the Centre to employ a dedicated case worker and provide brokerage […]
Victoria and South Australia are acting on women’s pain. What’s holding NSW back?
The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre is calling on NSW to improve access to pain relief for women undergoing IUD procedures, following Victoria’s statewide rollout of the green whistle and South Australia’s commitment to introduce the option through public health services. The fast-acting pain relief option, known clinically as Penthrox, is now available free of charge […]
New community space supports growing demand for women’s services in Northern Illawarra
The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre has officially launched its new training and activity room as part of its expansion to provide more services to the Northern Illawarra. The room at the Centre’s Northern site at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus is a dedicated space to support education, well-being programs and community connection for women […]
Digging through the archives: 40 years of the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre
As the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre celebrates its 40th year, we dug into the archives to uncover an extraordinary collection of photographs of the Centre over the years. The images capture the spirit of the women who helped build the Centre from the ground up and turned it into the fierce organisation it is today. […]
Call for NSW Government to step up as the Federal Budget doesn’t go far enough on women’s health
The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre says the Federal Government’s latest Women’s Budget Statement contains welcome reforms, but falls short of the scale of investment needed to properly respond to women’s health needs across regional communities like the Illawarra. The Centre welcomed measures including the $182.6 million investment to stop domestic, family and sexual violence perpetrators […]
Call for urgent DFV funding as Illawarra services warn of gaps in the North
The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre is warning that gaps in access to women’s services are leaving women in the Illawarra without the support they need. The Centre is urging the NSW Government to use the upcoming budget to fund a permanent Northern Illawarra women’s health service to ensure women can access specialist and holistic support […]