Events

The flu season is fast approaching, so it’s time for your annual influenza vaccination.  It is recommended that the vaccination occur any time from April onwards to be protected from the virus’ peak season, which is generally from June to September.

UOW’s free flu vaccination scheme for staff members will be available from Monday the 1st of April through to Wednesday the 31st of July 2024.

The option for reimbursement will remain open until Wednesday the 7th of August.

There are two options for receiving your vaccination:

Option 1 – Staff can book in for a free flu vaccination at the Wollongong Campus Pharmacy using the following link; UOW Campus Pharmacy.

Option 2 - Staff can also book an appointment with their preferred GP or pharmacy then claim a reimbursement through the Australian Vaccine Services (AVS). The process to receive your vaccination is:

1. Contact your preferred GP or pharmacy and book a flu vaccination appointment.
2. Pay for and receive your flu vaccination. Be sure to keep your receipt and ask for a confirmation of your vaccination from the healthcare service.
3. Access the UOW/AVS portal and submit a claim for reimbursement for the flu vaccination. Note that there is a $28 cap for reimbursement.
4. You should receive an email confirmation of your claim and receive reimbursement within 2 weeks. Please direct any enquiries to AVS on 1800 FLU VAC (358 822).

Be sure to stay healthy and safe this flu season!

For more information on Flu Vaccinations, please check out the NSW health page:

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/Influenza/Pages/default.aspx

Free seasonal influenza vaccines are also funded under the National Immunisation Program (NIP). The vaccination is also available for free for groups at a higher risk of complications from influenza. The eligibility criteria can be found here: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/flu.aspx#eligibility

UOW is aware of the importance of suicide prevention and has partnered with LivingWorks Suicide Prevention to deliver various courses to better equip staff and students with the skills needed to support their peers.
LivingWorks is an organisation with an industry-leading approach to suicide prevention. These courses include honest, open and direct talk about suicide. Participants will be encouraged to help prepare discussions with persons at risk.
The goal of these courses is to empower everyone to play a role and help keep communities everywhere safe from suicide.

By completing one or more of the LivingWorks courses you will:

• recognise signs that someone is at risk from suicide and know where to refer the person to support pathways
• deeply listen and engage
• engage in problem solving capacity and help the person develop a safety plan
• ASIST participants will receive a certificate of completion (requirement to attend the full 2 day interactive program)

For more information on the different LivingWorks training courses, please view the UOW LivingWorks Suicide Prevention Postvention Training pack. 

Registrations are now open for the training.
Session dates and times can be found here: Session information: LivingWorks Suicide Prevention training. 

There are a number of support services available for staff and students to access if they require further support:
- LivingWorks Training Support Resources - Students
- LivingWorks Training Support Resources - Staff 

UOW is continuing the roll out of two face to face Mental Health training courses:

1. Mental Health Awareness and Intervention
2. Mental Health Leadership Program

Feedback has been very positive, with staff stating:

• ‘Great course - Very practical and useful’
• ‘Created a safe space to discuss and ask questions’

There are also online mental health training programs that can be completed by staff at any time:

1. Mental Health Awareness - Employees
2. Mental Health Awareness - Leaders

These training courses align with the UOW workplace mental health strategy, which can be found on the Well@Work Healthy Mind page.

For more information on the above courses and how to enrol, please visit the PODS Staff Development Calendar (Intranet).