Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) will continue a series of life-saving first aid and healthcare support sessions after local residents turned out in force to take part in snake bite training.
GSHS, in partnership with Ambulance Victoria and local expert Jake the Snake Catcher, hosted two Snake Bite First Aid Community Education Sessions in Leongatha and Korumburra – both of which were fully booked.
More than 80 locals attended to learn essential first aid techniques for treating snake bites and gain confidence in managing emergency situations.
Following the success of the sessions, GSHS plans to roll out further community health education programs, including First Responder Training for Teens, Farm First Aid, and Aged Care Planning workshops.
GSHS also plans to run more snake bite first aid sessions in the lead-up to next summer and hopes to provide similar sessions for local schools.
The snake bite education sessions were held after the loss of local resident and GSHS staff member Susan Ritchie.
Her brother Geoff Wyatt said he was thankful for the sessions. “The main thing is – this will save a life,” Mr Wyatt said. “The training is very important. The five points that you learn at the course are essential – that’s what people will need if they are or are worried about being bitten by a snake.”
The incident prompted GSHS Urgent Care Centre Dr Paul Cotton to call for community education. Emergency and Urgent Care Centres around the South Gippsland region have reported more presentations for suspected snake bites and dry bites this summer compared to previous.
Executive Director Medical Services Dr Angela Williams said GSHS acknowledged the loss of a very valued staff member who was dearly missed.
“We would also like to acknowledge the treating team at Korumburra Hospital for their immediate administration of antivenin and prompt delivery of care,” Dr Williams said. “We particularly thank Susan’s family for their attendance and input following our recent snake bite session.”
GSHS Transformation & Community Engagement Lead, Kate Ginnivan, said the overwhelming success of the snake bite sessions showed the value of community health education.
“Empowering our community with practical, life-saving skills is what these sessions were all about,” Ms Ginnivan said. Participants learned how to correctly apply a pressure bandage, the importance of immobilisation, and what to expect when calling 000 in the event of a snake bite.
Ms Ginnivan described the feedback to the sessions as phenomenal, and the demand for more sessions highlighted how important accessible health education is to South Gippsland.
Locals praised the hands-on approach of the sessions.
“My husband and I both attended the first session and found it to be very informative. It was a great initiative to provide the community with this information. The three different spokespersons were very relevant and provided just the right amount of detail. It was great to be able to have a go at using the bandages and a bonus to get to take them home,” one attendee said.
“It was a great session, and I’d love to see more of these types of information nights. My husband and I attended with our kids, and they learned a lot. It would be great to have a session aimed at children, as they’re the ones we’re most concerned about coming into contact with snakes around the house,” another participant added.