Campbelltown women’s health centre has been granted its first funding increase since 1987, with a 2023 NSW state government budget allocation of $250,000 a year for the next four years.
The budget will be handed down on September 19.
“It’s been 36 years without an increase in funding – this increase is long overdue, and we are so thankful that Labor has prioritised women’s health and safety in this budget,” says Vanessa Olsen, the manager of the centre most people in Campbelltown know as WILMA.
“The centre has been providing a unique model of trauma informed, integrated, accessible health care to our community for over 36 years,’’ Ms Olsen said.
“With this funding, we will be able to extend services to the entire Macarthur region, offering counselling and casework support in Campbelltown, Camden, Wollondilly and Wingecarribee.’’
The extra funding will allow the centre to continue to provide services such as trauma informed counselling, case work and integrated health care.
But it will also mean a trained counsellor available at their centre week-round, resulting in almost 500 more sessions of counselling a year, supporting some of the most at risk women in Campbelltown and broader Macarthur community.
The increased funding will allow the centre to take in a further 70 individuals annually – in the last 12 month period, the centre had to refer 200 women to other services due to high demand.
“The work done by the centre with at risk women is exceptional and I look forward to continuing to work with them into the future,’’ says the Member for Campbelltown, Greg Warren, who welcomed the funding boost.
“For some women, the centre is a life saving service, and this funding will allow the centre to continue to support those women and others like them.
“Funding a fantastic service like this can only mean good things for the Campbelltown community,” Mr Warren said.
The local MP is pictured above with Ms Olsen, left, and Councillor Meg Oates, a supporter of WILMA.
