Cameras set up at a press conference

DEVELOPING STORY: FAIRFAX MEDIA JOURNALISTS ON STRIKE

Fairfax media has announced publicly on Wednesday, May 3, 2017, it will cut 125 full-time staff members as the digital world continues to put pressure on the media industry. With a significant amount of journalists on-strike, the impact this will have on the PR industry is huge given Australians access a Fairfax article at least…

Image of young child receiving an injection

Federal Government promises more funding for vaccination campaigns as research shows parents still worrying

Federal Health Minister, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, announced this weekend, Saturday April 22, 2017, that the Government would be rolling out a new AUD$5.5m immunisation awareness campaign with the aim of encouraging parents and carers to get their children vaccinated. While general vaccination rates in Australian children are good and range between 90 to…

syringe with vial

Federal Health Minister urges Aussies to get vaccinated before flu season kicks in

Last Thursday, April 13, 2017, Federal Health Minister, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, received his annual flu shot, urging other Australians to do the same. “High vaccination rates contribute to a healthy society. That’s why in 2017, through the National Immunisation Program (NIP), the Turnbull Government will provide more than 4.5 million doses of the…

Medical Stethoscope Resting on Laptop Computer Keyboard.

Study finds increasing healthcare spend not linked to improved health outcomes

Data from a new meta-analysis, has demonstrated that a higher healthcare spend has done little to improve key health outcomes. The authors looked at 65 different studies, conducted between 1965-2014, surrounding healthcare spending and its impact on health outcomes. The study conducted by researchers from Deakin University, titled, The impact of healthcare spending on health…

Seven things people commonly get wrong when presenting to media

1. Not preparing enough You need to know your message – and you need to make sure it’s consistently bridged to. 2. Ignoring the audience You need to factor in who you are talking to and what they are interested in. 3. Being too verbose No one likes to be talked at, or hear endless…

Woman receiving a vaccination

Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute launches Wellness Plan recommending age-related vaccinations as a preventative health measure

On March 19, 2017, The Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne launched a publication designed to help Australians lead long, healthy and productive lives. Entitled ‘The Baker IDI Wellness Plan’, the publication includes a healthy action plan, healthy recipes and meal plans, tips for developing healthy habits, and a checklist of medical test recommendations…

Crowdsourcing participants for genetic research – Australia’s Science Channel

VIVA! Communications wishes to thank Australia’s Science Channel for producing a fab video highlighting the importance of crowdsourcing for recruiting volunteers to the Australian arm of the world’s largest Genetics of Depression Study to date. Watch here: See more from the Australia Science Channel here.

Putting the Global back into GLOBALHealthPR – How health is done in other countries

As part of GLOBALHealthPR, VIVA! Communications is all about recognising that health and healthcare mean different things depending on where you come from. We took the time to chat to five other health workers to ask them five questions about what healthcare means to them in their country. This month we started with our old…

David Apolloni

David, 62 Banking manager & married father-of-three who has experienced influenza on multiple occasions, CANBERRA

Banking manager and married father-of-three, David, 62, Canberra, enjoys bush walking, fitness, and watching sports in his spare time. Given his busy professional and personal life, David cannot afford to fall ill. Over the past decade however, David has contracted the flu on many occasions, which has led to numerous days off work due to…

Heather

Heather, 59 Volunteer & mother-of-two who was struck down by influenza for a fortnight, MELBOURNE

Community volunteer, mother-to-two adult children and “diehard Collingwood supporter” who was awarded a State medal for her bravery during the ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires of 2009, Heather, 59, Melbourne, enjoys the simple things in life, such as gardening, jigsaw puzzles and good coffee.  For years, Heather had a clean bill of health, until she contracted the…