The Latrobe Valley Community and Health Assembly has been an essential support network to all impacted since the catastrophic Hazelwood mine fire. It will soon shut its doors due to lack of funding. The legislative task force was established in response to a cataclysmic, 45-day fire siege in 2014. This disaster resulted in extensive air pollution that ignited a major ongoing public health crisis in the area. The closure raises concerns about the community’s easily documented and persistent public health epidemic. These challenges range from alarmingly high rates of chronic illness and lifestyle disease.
The Hazelwood mine fire sadly took the lives of 11 people. It ignited an environmental disaster that profoundly affected the people of Morwell and surrounding communities. Despite efforts to address these health concerns, recent data reveals that the Latrobe Valley continues to struggle with elevated rates of chronic illness, highlighting the pressing need for effective health interventions.
In reaction to these threats, the convening was able to pass a number of community-driven policies focused on ensuring healthier futures. It created 18 recommendations aimed at reducing chronic health burdens and encouraging healthier lifestyles among city residents. These programs are deeply threatened today by lack of state budget investment.
Legacy of the Hazelwood Mine Fire
The 2014 Hazelwood mine fire altered the course for the Latrobe Valley. That caused us to realize that we needed a much more collaborative approach to managing health. The establishment of the Latrobe Valley Community and Health Assembly aimed to empower residents and create actionable solutions for health improvement.
“We enable a platform for the community to have a voice over the decisions that affect them, certainly with health decisions, and we were given the budget to find new ways of improving the health and wellbeing in the Latrobe Valley,” said Tanya Rong, who has been an integral part of the assembly. She stressed the importance of community input in determining how states should develop health strategies and initiatives.
Yet in spite of these huge strides, the assembly’s fiscal health has grown more perilous by the year. Funding for the organization is running out. It plans to utilize its available cash reserves to close down operations, a tragic process that’s likely to drag into late December.
Impact on Local Programs
The closure of the assembly will have major implications for a number of important programs running out of the Latrobe Valley. This year we started a community kitchen project to address food insecurity. Prepare and deliver up to 150 healthy meals, nourishing body and soul for neighbors in need. This program has turned into a lifeline for the millions of vulnerable families who are experiencing increased food insecurity.
“For us, as the People’s Kitchen, that means that we have to look at more broadly a complete restructure of the program,” stated Tracie Lund, highlighting the difficulties that will arise from the assembly’s closure. Without this initiative, these young, immigrant and refugee community members will lose access to their basic necessities.
A second key program is the nurses in schools initiative. It’s an effort to improve health outcomes for their children in the region. This program is critical to ensuring underserved children have access to comprehensive health care services within schools. It encourages healthier lifestyles for our children. The potential removal of such programs only heightens the entrenched health inequities present in the Latrobe Valley.
Ongoing Health Challenges
The health issues still experienced by the community of Latrobe Valley are evident. Diseases related to chronic illness and lifestyle have been rampant in the community for years. Several residents have already begun lobbying for the kind of advocacy they need to improve their health situation. Specifically, the assembly introduced initiatives to address urgent issues right at their source. They were looking to create a healthier future for their residents.
This sudden move to shutter the assembly has left many in the community feeling anxious about where they will get healthcare in the future. “We didn’t have any indication. It was definitely unexpected,” noted Tanya Rong, reflecting on the shock felt within the community regarding this announcement.
