August is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Australia.

Did you know that prostate cancer is the most common men’s cancer in Australia? With a whopping 230,000 Aussie men currently impacted, a further 45 men diagnosed a day and 9 deaths a day from prostate cancer! Also, if your father or brother have ever been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your risk of prostate cancer DOUBLES!

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) is a broadly-based community organisation and the peak national body for prostate cancer in Australia. They are dedicated to reducing the impact of prostate cancer on Australian men, their partners and their families. Check out the information flyer below from the PCFA or check out their website to learn more about Prostate Cancer.

Be proactive about prostate cancer. Talk to your doctor about PSA Testing and/or call PCFA on 1800 220 099 for more information and a free info kit.

Edmonton Family Medical Centre will remain OPEN for all patient’s throughout the duration of the lockdown (unless you have been to one of the identified hotspots and/or have been in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19).

Our clinic will be implementing extra precautions during this lockdown to ensure the safety of our staff and community. These are as follows:

1. As per QLD Government instructions, masks are to be worn by all patients while inside and outside of the clinic – patients are to bring their own masks.
2. Telehealth appointments will be the preferred appointment type, if reasonable. However, face-to-face appointments are still an option if required.
3. A concierge (nurse/reception) will be at the front door taking temperature checks and checking symptoms to regulate whether patients will be allowed to wait inside the clinic or be required to wait in their car / on the seats outside the clinic.
4. Patient’s with cold and flu like symptoms are NOT to enter the clinic without the treating GP’s consent as the GP may prefer to do a car consult with a mask / face shield if required.
5. Only the patient and their carer (if applicable) will be allowed into the clinic and into consultation rooms. Extra family members will be asked to wait outside / in their car (Exceptions will be made for small children who cannot be left unattended).
6. COVID-19 vaccination clinics will continue – with closer monitoring of social distancing.

It is vital that Queenslanders follow the lockdown procedure for the next three days to ensure we can suppress any spread of this variant.

Click here for more information on the Cairns & Yarrabah lockdown or if you have any questions about your upcoming appointment, please call the clinic on 4055 4556.

Due to the current limited supply of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Queensland Health needs to prioritize vaccination for people who have a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 and those who are due for their second dose. The vaccination program will continue to be expanded as Queensland receives more supply.

Who is currently eligible for a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

• Any adult aged 16-59 years
• All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 12 and over
• People aged 12-59 with a specified underlying medical condition, including those with a disability and their carers
• NDIS participants, their carers and support workers (aged 12 and over)
• Pregnant women during any stage of pregnancy
• Any worker in the following industries:
  • Residential aged care and disability care workers
  • Healthcare workers and support staff including students on clinical placement
  • Workers at airports that receive international and domestic flights
  • Queensland-based international and interstate air crew workers
  • Border workers
  • Freight workers who cross domestic borders
  • Fly-in-fly-out mining workers based in Queensland who fly or drive to work and are then accommodated on site at a mining operation within Queensland or other parts of Australia or Papua New Guinea
  • Volunteers at a COVID-19 testing or vaccination clinic
  • Maritime industry workers
  • Critical and high risk workers e.g. emergency services, corrective services, youth detention centres and meat processing businesses.
• Household contacts (aged 12 years and older) of quarantine workers, border workers and healthcare workers who are at a higher risk of having contact with COVID-positive patients

PLEASE NOTE: Patients aged 60 years and over can only have the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. They are NOT eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine unless they have one of the following medical condition(s):

• Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST)
• Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT)
• Idiopathic splanchnic (mesenteric, portal or splenic) venous thrombosis
• Anti-phospholipid syndrome with thrombosis
• Anaphylaxis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia or other serious adverse event attributed to the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
• History of anaphylaxis  to a component of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
• Other approved medical contradiction to AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Please note that HHS vaccination clinics may require further information to assess eligibility and patient’s may not be vaccinated on the day of presentation if this is unavailable.

If a patient does not have any of the above medical condition(s) and/or are unable to provide relevant documentation, they will NOT be able to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at our clinic and instead will be referred to get the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

More eligibility information for the COVID-19 vaccinations can be found on the QLD Health website .

COVID-19 Vaccination Consent Form – For patient’s who are booked in to receive a COVID-19 vaccine with us, please complete this consent form prior to your vaccination appointment.

Tradies – classified as technicians and trade workers, labourers, machinery operators and drivers – represent 58 per cent of workers’ compensation claims, despite making up only 30 per cent of the workforce.

Did you know that Australian tradies make 190 serious workers’ compensation claims every day? That’s three times the national average – according to a Safe Work Australia analysis of data from 2010-11 to 2014-15! In addition, research has uncovered that despite 86% of tradies agreeing that their job is physically demanding (and around a third of tradies finishing off the work day stiff and sore), 38% of tradies never stretch or warm up before work. It has also been uncovered that two-thirds of tradies agreed that they would be more inclined to stretch or warm up before starting work if their employer prioritised it. Furthermore, 60% of tradies often have aches and pains as a result of their job.

Back pain is one of the most common injuries suffered by tradies, with three million Australians (14 per cent of the population) suffering from lower back pain, according to a 2015 report. It is most common in 30 to 39 year old males. The report estimates indirect costs associated with lower back pain to be $8.15 billion due to lost earnings and productivity.

August each year is Australian Tradies National Health Month (TNHM), a campaign to bring awareness to tradies’ health and encourage them to look after their wellbeing. In a bid to drive awareness of, and encourage a healthy workplace and injury prevention or management, TNHM provide a number of resources across their website and social media channels. Employers and tradies can access case studies, workplace posters and general advice on common workplace issues or injuries such as ankle sprains, knee injuries, hydration, mental health and workplace bullying.

The TNHM campaign, which is driven by the Australian Physiotherapist Association and Steel Blue Boots has successfully put tradies’ health on the mainstream media agenda every August, sponsoring celebrities including comedian, Dave Hughes, cricket legend Dennis Lillee, and ex AFL stars Glen Jakovich and Glenn Archer.

Check out the tips and resources from the Australian Physiotherapy Association to help better health outcomes for tradies on their website.

With your help, we can help spread the word of Tradies National Health Month!

You’ve heard the joke ‘Three men walk into a bar…’ No, really, that’s how the first Dry July started!

In July 2008, three mates, Brett, Kenny and Phil, wanted to take a break from alcohol, so decided to abstain for the month of July, coining it their ‘Dry July’. They also wanted to raise money for a cause very close to their hearts, so they asked friends and family to sponsor them.

Hoping to raise $3,000 to buy a TV for their local hospital’s waiting room, the campaign was a huge success. The first Dry July ended up raising $250,000, thanks to the support of Adam Spencer, and Dry July was well and truly born!

Dry July is a fundraiser that encourages you to go alcohol-free in July to raise funds for people affected by cancer.

The funds you raise as part of your Dry July will provide invaluable services for cancer patients, their families and carers – whether it’s a lift to a life-saving appointment, guidance from a specialist nurse, connection to an informative voice, access to therapy programs or a bed close to treatment.

Having a month off alcohol also has great health benefits, such as sleeping better, having more energy and of course, no hangovers! So you’re not only helping others, you’re helping yourself. It’s a win-win!

Learn more about Dry July on the Dry July Foundation website.

For more information, check out the QLD Government website.

As of Monday 5th July 2021, Edmonton Family Medical Centre will be offering the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccination to patients in the following eligibility criteria:

Newly eligible:

• All adults aged 40-49
• All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 16 to 49
• NDIS participants aged years 16 and over, and carers of NDIS participants of any age

Already eligible:

• All adults aged between 50 to 59
• Quarantine and border workers
• Health care workers
• Aged care and disability care residents and staff
• People aged 16 and over with an underlying medical condition or significant disability
• Critical and high risk workers aged 16 and over including defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing.

PLEASE NOTE: Patients aged 60 and over are NOT eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine at our clinic. However, they are eligible to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Eligible patients can reserve their Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination through our online booking system or by calling 4055 4556. They will then receive a text message when the Pfizer vaccine stock arrives so that they can organise an appointment to get the vaccination.

Sunday 6th of June was Queensland Day!

Queensland Day is a celebration of Queensland’s birthday and marks the state’s official separation from New South Wales as an independent colony on 6 June 1859.

Commemorated annually on 6 June, Queensland Day is an important celebration of our state’s culture and heritage, and an opportunity to reflect on what Queensland means to you and what makes you proud to be a Queenslander—whether it be our people, places, opportunities or lifestyle.

Queensland Day, Sunday 6 June 2021 marked 162 years since a new story began, the story of Queensland. And with more than five million people calling Queensland home, we each have our own unique story to tell.

The QLD Government encourages all Queenslanders—businesses, community groups, organisations, schools, families and sporting teams—to come together on 6 June, show their state pride and share their Queensland story.

Learn more about the history of Queensland on the QLD Health website or watch the video below where QLD Health reached out to some proud Queenslanders to find out their Queensland story.

Patients eligible under Phase 2a of the COVID-19 Vaccination Priority Rollout can now book an appointment to get the COVID-19 jab!
Phase 2a consists of adults with moderate risks including:
– Adults aged 50-69 years
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18-49
– Other critical and high risk workers

We are also still taking COVID-19 Vaccination appointments for patients eligible under Phase 1a and Phase 1b.

More information about the people eligible for each phase of the COVID-19 Vaccine rollout can be found on the flyer below or if you are unsure about what phase of the COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout you are in, you can confirm your eligibility using the QLD Health’s Vaccine eligibility checker here.

Otherwise, you can organize an appointment with us to get the COVID-19 Vaccination by calling us on 4055 4556 OR booking an appointment online here.